W. b. XIV, a collection of Magnificats and Marian motets dedicated to prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich by Paul Sartorius (c. 1569-1609) and the subject of this thesis, represents the musical atmosphere at the Salzburg cathedral during the beginning stages of Wolf Dietrich's post-Tridentine reforms. Moreover, it is a product of the artistic exchange between Salzburg and Maximilian II's secular court in Innsbruck, thus amplifying the latter's role in the aesthetic evolution of Salzburg's post-Tridentine polyphony.

An area beset with Protestant upheaval during the early sixteenth century, Salzburg struggled to maintain a strong Catholic identity through the leadership of its early prince-Archbishops and its numerous provincial synods. Despite these attempts, broad sweeping reform did not occur until the arrival of Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau as prince-Archbishop in 1587. Armed with a strong theological education from Rome's Collegium Germanicum Wolf Dietrich brought to Salzburg the charisma and gravitas needed to introduce post-Tridentine aesthetics to Salzburg. Although Wolf Dietrich's reform agenda was a major improvement from previous attempts, Salzburg, like many post-Tridentine centers including Munich and Milan, continued to retain many local traditions.

Among Wolf Dietrich's many contributions to Salzburg was his patronage of music. In addition to reorganizing the Cathedral and court musici , Wolf Dietrich was honored via numerous dedications of manuscripts; among these was Wb. XIV. Through an analysis and critical edition of Wb. XIV, this thesis will examine the manuscript's adherence to standard Italian compositional techniques while retaining local musical styles.