At the close of the fifteenth century came a talented young man from a small German village whose only ambition was to serve God as a musician. Lorenz Lemlin was a gifted singer and player of the lute, but he was destined to become much more. Providence led him to Heidelberg where he eventually became an instrumental figure at the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.From the lofty ramparts of the Heidelberg Castle, he was poised to watch history unfold around him. He was surrounded by scenes such as Martin Luthers defiance of Rome and subsequent trial at Worms, the bloody Peasants Rebellion, and a sympathetic ruler who embraced Luthers doctrines.In Heidelberg, Lemlin finds Gods will for his life in the ministry of music at the court of Elector Ludwig V. While attending the university, Lorenz meets Liesl Gunter, a pretty tailors daughter with whom he shares happiness and sorrow. Their eventual love is deceitfully stolen from them, but each finds strength in Gods love for the dangerous and lonely challenges that lay ahead. Enter His Courts with Singing is a story based upon the life of a young German musician whom God chose for a special purpose during the unsettled early years of the Protestant Reformation. The young musician's name was Lorenz Lemlin. The real Lorenz Lemlin (born ca. 1495) has fallen into obscurity over the centuries. His scope of influence was a narrow one-a few students who today are collectively referred to as the Heidelberg Circle. They became greater than their teacher, but it is through their successes that Lemlin is known today. Lemlin was neither a great composer, like Bach or Beethoven, nor an enlightened theorist. He was an above average musician for his time whose tangible legacy consists of fewer than a dozen sacred compositions and twice that many love songs. His greatest contribution to history, however, was stabilizing Protestant sacred music at the court of Elector Ludwig V, the Protestant ruler of a royal principality known as the Palatinate. God also placed Lemlin in a unique position to train other musicians who embraced the doctrines of grace and the new Church. Notwithstanding Lemlin's limited influence, God, in His infinite knowledge, had a divine plan and an important purpose for the bright, young musician. Thrown into one of history's most tumultuous times-the Protestant Reformation-Lemlin had to make some difficult choices about life and religion; tradition and the Bible. Carlton Hughes Atlanta, 2000 A native of Georgia, author Carlton Hughes lives with his wife, Cheryl, a stone's throw from Jonesboro, the traditional setting of Scarlett O'Hara and her beloved, legendary plantation, Tara. He is a father of two daughters and, presently, a grandfather of three. Two areas of interest have occupied much of Hughes' life-music and religion-sometimes in combination. He is chiefly a musician, specifically a music historian. He was a high school music teacher and college music instructor. He also served several churches, principally Presbyterian Churches, as organist/music director. These musical careers often merged. While researching a topic for his graduate school thesis, he happened to visit Heidelberg, Germany, where he was asked to play the organ in the chapel of that city's famous castle. That incident began a very long chapter in Hughes' life. He began to research the music history of the castle and a year later, he returned to Heidelberg to find out more about one musician, in a long line of courtly musicians, who had served the Palatine court. That musician was Lorenz Lemlin. That research spawned a graduate thesis, countless lectures, manuscript transcriptions, and now a novel. Hughes has authored many articles that have appeared in dozens of national magazines and journals. He writes mostly on musical topics, but occasionally finds diversion writing about topics in unrelated areas. Currently, he is researching 19th century French opera composers and completing another book, A Moment for Music, which should be available in 2001.