Focusing on his activity in Hamburg from 1767 until his death in 1788, this collection of essays explores the literary and aesthetic contexts of C.P.E. Bach's later work. It includes essays on Bach's position on contemporary concepts of responsiveness, his sacred music and views on religion, and on the contemporary and posthumous reception of his music. The volume seeks to re-establish the centrality of Bach's music in late 18th-century German culture.