During the history of music, some of the most significant developments were due to religious motivation. The Renaissance era in Europe was characterized by an attitude of reform and pursuit of knowledge. A religious reformation was on its way to hit Europe in the beginning of the 16th century. This would cause a division between the Catholic Church and the new Lutheran Church. Martin Luther would lead this reform and break from the Catholic Church and will eventually fuel new musical traditions and composers.
Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk and professor at the University of Wittenberg, was responsible for leading the Reformation in Europe in the early 16th century. During the time he was studying theology he encountered a great dilemma. He would question the idea of achieving salvation through one's merits and good deeds in a world filled with immorality. This lead to an epiphany, which he called his "tower experience,"" where he claimed that the just individual shall reach salvation through faith alone. He believed that the Bible is the only necessary medium between an individual and God. These beliefs were the foundation of the Reformation. The event that triggered the Reform was the release of his "Ninety-Five Theses " in 1517. It heavily criticized the Catholic Church and the authority of the Pope for the sales of indulgences that pardoned individuals of their sin. His "Ninety-Five Theses " reached the masses of Germany thanks to the invention of the printing press, and can be interpreted as a result of this recent development. Luther's views became increasingly popular in Germany partly due to the Leipzig Debate that helped settle and solidify his ideas. In 1520, Luther wrote three treatises that laid the groundwork for the protestant church. These works attracted the attention of the German authorities and the Pope. He was excommunicated and then outlawed by the Empire at the Diet of Worms.