The book attempts a fundamental conceptualization of an epoch in musical history that has received relatively little attention and is usually referred to with makeshift designations like "Sturm und Drang" borrowed from other disciplines. The studies draw on numerous new sources and are limited to the situation in Northern and Central Germany. They take account of the socio-historical context, new aesthetic paradigms and the direct connection between these and the history of composition. Analyses are made of individual works and typical genre features (Telemann, C.P.E. Bach, Rolle, Gluck etc.).