The Cambridge History of Fifteenth-Century Music

Description

Through forty-five creative and concise essays by an international team of authors, this Cambridge History brings the fifteenth century to life for both specialists and general readers. Combining the best qualities of survey texts and scholarly literature, the book offers authoritative overviews of central composers, genres, and musical institutions as well as new and provocative reassessments of the work concept, the boundaries between improvisation and composition, the practice of listening, humanism, musical borrowing, and other topics. Multidisciplinary studies of music and architecture, feasting, poetry, politics, liturgy, and religious devotion rub shoulders with studies of compositional techniques, musical notation, music manuscripts, and reception history. Generously illustrated with figures and examples, this volume paints a vibrant picture of musical life in a period characterized by extraordinary innovation and artistic achievement. Introduction Anna Maria Busse Berger and Jesse Rodin Part I. Historiography: (a) Listening: 1. Hearing Josquin hearing Busnoys Michael Long 2. Religion and the senses in fifteenth-century Europe Klaus Pietschmann (b) Terms and Concepts: 3. The work concept Laurenz Lütteken 4. The L'homme armé tradition – and the limits of musical borrowing Jesse Rodin (c) Composer Studies: 5. Guillaume Du Fay: evidence and interpretation Alejandro Enrique Planchart 6. Jean d'Ockeghem Lawrence F. Bernstein 7. Josquin and epistemology Jesse Rodin Part II. Improvisation and Composition: 8. Oral composition in fifteenth-century music Anna Maria Busse Berger 9. Improvisation as concept and musical practice in the fifteenth century Philippe Canguilhem 10. How did Oswald von Wolkenstein make his contrafacta? Anna Maria Busse Berger 11. Making a motet: Josquin's Ave Maria…virgo serena John Milsom 12. The origins of pervasive imitation Julie E. Cumming and Peter Schubert Part III. Humanism: 13. Humanism and music in Italy James Hankins 14. Fifteenth-century humanism and music outside Italy Reinhard Strohm 15. Poetic humanism and music in the fifteenth century Leofranc Holford-Strevens 16. Canterino and Improvvisatore: oral poetry and performance Blake Wilson 17. Liturgical Humanism: saints' offices from the Italian peninsula in the fifteenth century Alison K. Frazier Part IV. Music and Other Arts: 18. Architecture and music in fifteenth-century Italy Deborah Howard 19. Music and feasts in the fifteenth century Anthony M. Cummings 20. French lyrics and songs for the New Year, c.1380–1420 Yolanda Plumley Part V. Music in Churches, Courts, and Cities: 21. Musical institutions in the fifteenth century and their political contexts Klaus Pietschmann 22. Music and musicians at the Burgundian court in the fifteenth century David Fiala 23. The papal chapel in the late fifteenth century Richard Sherr 24. The beneficial system and fifteenth-century polyphony Pamela F. Starr 25. Professional women singers in the fifteenth century: a tale of two Annas Bonnie J. Blackburn 26. Savonarola and the boys of Florence: songs and politics Patrick Macey Part VI. Religious Devotion and Liturgy: 27. Music and ritual M. Jennifer Bloxam 28. Marian devotion in the fifteenth century David J. Rothenberg 29. Affective literature and sacred themes in fifteenth-century music Anne Walters Robertson Part VII. Theory and Practice: 30. Measuring measurable music in the fifteenth century Anne Stone 31. The transformative impulse Emily Zazulia 32. Transformations in music theory and music treatises Evan A. MacCarthy Part VIII. Sources: 33. Polyphonic sources, c.1400–50 Margaret Bent 34. Polyphonic sources, c.1450–1500 Thomas Schmidt-Beste Part IX. Genres: 35. The polyphonic mass in the fifteenth century Andrew Kirkman 36. The fifteenth-century motet Laurenz Lütteken 37. Fifteenth-century song Nicole Schwindt 38. Instrumental music in the fifteenth century Keith Polk 39. Sacred song in the fifteenth century: cantio, carol, lauda, Kirchenlied Reinhard Strohm 40. Plainsong in the age of polyphony Richard Sherr Part X. Reception: 41. The most popular songs of the fifteenth century David Fallows 42. The nineteenth-century reception of fifteenth-century sacred music Andrew Kirkman 43. The modern reception of the music of Jean d'Ockeghem Lawrence F. Bernstein 44. Recordings of fifteenth-century music Honey Meconi 45. Solidarity with the long-departed: fifteenth-century echoes in twentieth-century music Richard Taruskin.