It was a sensational find in many respects when Gunar Letzbor discovered the Passion by the composer and Augustinian canon Franz Joseph Aumann in the archives of St Florian's Abbey (near Linz, Austria) and other monasteries.

The Stralsund skyline with its brick church towers rises impressively above Strela Sound. While today this view can mainly be seen by those who approach Stralsund via the Rügen Bridge, the city has appeared in this way to arriving seafarers since the Middle Ages. As one of the Hanseatic cities lined up like pearls on southern Baltic Sea beaches, Stralsund had achieved a degree of economic prosperity as a member of the Hanseatic League since the 13th century. Closely networked with other Hanseatic cities such as Lübeck, Wismar and Rostock and governed by councillors and mayors from the upper class of merchants, the Hanseatic League not only guaranteed economic security but also facilitated cultural exchange.

Johann David Heinichen (1683–1729) is without a doubt one of the most important composers from North and Central Germany in the same generation as Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) und George Frideric Handel (1685–1759). For a long time, he was known mostly for his two musical theory treatises – Gründliche Anweisung zur vollkommenen Erlernung des General-Basses (Complete instructions on learning basso continuo perfectly – Hamburg 1711) and Der Generalbass in der Composition (The basso continuo in composition – Dresden 1728) – as well as his activities as conductor at the Saxon-Polish court in Dresden. Later, modest attention was also given to his instrumental works, operas, sere- nades and (Catholic) sacred music written from 1721. However, the conditions under which Heinichen was able to develop his many talents as a lawyer, composer and music theorist have remained largely unknown until now. The same applies to his Protestant sacred music that was composed before 1710, the year he began his travels to Italy.

The Stralsund skyline with its brick church towers rises impressively above Strela Sound. While today this view can mainly be seen by those who approach Stralsund via the Rügen Bridge, the city has appeared in this way to arriving seafarers since the Middle Ages. As one of the Hanseatic cities lined up like pearls on southern Baltic Sea beaches, Stralsund had achieved a degree of economic prosperity as a member of the Hanseatic League since the 13th century. Closely networked with other Hanseatic cities such as Lübeck, Wismar and Rostock and governed by councillors and mayors from the upper class of merchants, the Hanseatic League not only guaranteed economic security but also facilitated cultural exchange. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the alliance gradually disintegrated due to growing European competition. However, Stralsund remained a city of trade and Baltic exchange.