Past and Present History of Hamburg

Lutheranism

Lutheranism is an important religious movement that influenced the past and present history of Hamburg  significantly, starting in 1529. As conflict between Lutheranism and the Roman Catholic Church grew in Europe,  Hamburg absorbed refugees from France and the Netherlands who were Protestants. Ironically, the monk Martin Luther after whom Lutheranism is named aimed to simply reform the Roman Catholic Church with  his ideas, not induce division in the Roman Catholic Church between reformists and traditionalists

Contemporary musicians

A fast-forward look at the past and present history of Hamburg reveals that many contemporary musicians are connected somehow to Hamburg. Gyorgi Ligeti, a composer from Hungary whose music was prominently featured in Stanley Kubric movies, was both a teacher in Hamburg and lived there for 30 years. One of his students  named Manfred Stahnke has also risen to prominence as a composer and is based in Hamburg. Sofia  Gubaidulina is a composer of Russian descent based in Hamburg who is known for her unusual  combinations of musical instruments in her compositions.