Canzoniere for three and four voices

This manuscript is one of the most complete Song Books of the later fifteenth century. The authors mainly represented are Heinrich Isaac (1450-1517) a Flemish composer active in Florence in the court of Lorenzo il Magnifico, and Johannes Martini (c. 1440-1498), a musician at the Este court in 1491. There are also other texts in French, Italian, Spanish and German, out of a total of 268 compositions, 110 are anonymous and 158 are more or less well-known musicians.

The manuscript is illustrated by fine miniatures. Folio IIIv shown here is particularly interesting both from decorative and musical point of view. At the centre of the page, against a uniform blue ground, is set the circular canon with the words ‘Mundus et musica et totus concentus Bartholomaeus Ramis’. The resolution of the canon is within the circle. This fine miniature and the two that follow are attributed to Gherardo and Monte di Giovanni.

With this manuscript the technique of fully coloured leaves is introduced to Florentine illumination; they were very rare in Florence, compared with other European centres.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 9 minutes):

Josquin Desprez: Motet (In principio erat verbum)