The year 2017 provided an impetus to study anew the mutual influence between Lutheranism and music throughout the 500 years since the Reformation. To provide a scholarly arena for such discussions, the Department of Musicology at Uppsala University organised the Lutheran Music Culture conference, 14–16 September 2017. From a rich body of proposals, 47 contributions were included in the programme. Together with keynote lectures, evening concerts and a concluding panel discussion, presentations by contributing scholars from five continents helped to stimulate intensive days of vibrant discussion.

This volume of proceedings is the first of two anthologies documenting the variety of conference papers. A second anthology will provide deeper theoretical discussions, as well as perspectives on Luther’s own musical thought and practice. The constellation of articles presented in this first anthology celebrates a rich diversity of material and approaches. The nature of the theme demands interdisciplinary breadth, and the contributors work from a wide range of disciplines within theology and the humanities.