The (RISM A/I S 2804, RISM B/I 15204, VD16 S 5851, vdm 18) is a collection of motets which was printed in Augsburg in the workshop of and in 1520. Its full title is (Book of selected songs, commonly called motets, for six, five, and four voices). The print is dedicated to the cardinal and Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg. The epilogue was penned by the humanist Konrad Peutinger. Ludwig Senfl selected the compositions, prepared them for printing, and possibly also assisted as a proofreader.
Introduction The is the first motet anthology printed north of the Alps. It is subject of research by musicology, print studies, and art history mainly due to three extraordinary features:
The impressive dimensions of 44.5 cm × 28.5 cm (c. 17.5″ × 11″) are an extreme exception for a print of mensural music in the 16th century. The types used for the notes are the biggest every produced for mensural music and seemingly were never used again. Some of the copies contain a full-page woodcut of a coat of arms employing seven colors including gold which is deemed one of the most elaborate of the entire 16th century.
These qualities were so innovative that they elevated the capabilities of the printing technology to a new level.
There are 20 extant copies of the Liber selectarum cantionum which is an exceedingly high number for a music print of this century. Additionally, there exists a fragment in the British Museum in London which consists of a single sheet of paper displaying the colored coat of arms on one page and the first half of the dedicatory letter on the other. It was bound into a print of Wiguleus Hund's Metropolis Salisburgensis that had been produced in Ingolstadt in the year 1582.
Social background Several individuals were connected to the Liber selectarum cantionum and also among these people themselves connections have been established both directly and indirectly.
Since at least 1507 Grimm had been working in Augsburg as a physician and a pharmacist. In the year 1513 he married Magdalena Welser. This marriage had two important consequences. On the one hand, he advanced to the upper class since he gained access to the Herrenstube ("chamber of Lords") of Augsburg, the closed circle of the city's elite. On the other hand, a significant link arose because Magdalena Welser was a second cousin to Margarete Welser, the wife of Konrad Peutinger. Therefore, Grimm and Peutinger were distantly related. Peutinger was one of the most reputable and influential figures of renaissance-humanism in Upper Germany. He participated in the city politics of Augsburg and supported emperor Maximilian I as a ("imperial councillor"). He aided the family business of the Welsers by advising them in legal matters. He was a keen proponent of book printing which he especially fostered in Augsburg. By means of his advocacy several print projects of the Holy Roman Emperor were undertaken there.
A crucial hub for the forging of new contacts was the which was founded in 1500 by Peutinger. This Augsburg-based society aimed at bringing together fellow humanists, exchanging ideas, and putting these into practice. One of its members was Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg to whom the was dedicated. A number of printers from Augsburg also belonged to the association. Among those were Grimm and Wirsung. It was probably due to both the family relationship as well as the which connected Peutinger to both of the printers that led him to write the epilogue for the music book.
Wirsung had been working as a pharmacist in Augsburg (similarly to Grimm) since 1496 but the principal source of his considerable income came from his main occupation as a long-distance merchant. Since at least 1502 he also engaged in bookselling. In 1501 Wirsung married a second time. Like in his first marriage the bride, Agathe Sulzer, came from an affluent merchant family. As a result, Wirsung, too, was granted access to the Augsburg (gentlemen's club) and he officially joined the local upper class. One of the children born from this marriage was .
Grimm and Wirsung had been being friends for years when Grimm founded a print shop in 1517 which Wirsung joined in the same year as an equal partner. In contrast to Grimm, the business was only a sideline activity for Wirsung. He could, however, provide the financial assets necessary for establishing and sustaining a printing office. The range of their prints was characterized by the highest standards and the attempts to produce innovative works. Both of these qualities apply to the Liber selectarum cantionum. For the woodcut of this print and others Grimm and Wirsung repeatedly hired an artist known by the Notname "Master of Petrarca" (German: Petrarcameister) from 1518 to 1522 whose identity has not yet been determined more precisely.
Lang was a native from Augsburg and was born into an impoverished patrician family. He was distantly related to Wirsung since the great-great-grandfather of his wife was simultaneously Lang's great-grandfather. Although Lang was a clergyman his actual legacy lies in his role as Maximilian's I "right hand" which made him the second-most powerful man in the empire. He and Peutinger knew each other well, not only because of their memberships in the . Physical evidence for this is for example the dedication of Peutinger's from 1504 to Lang.
Only four days following the Liber selectarum cantionum Grimm and Wirsung published another work dedicated to Lang: La Celestina. This is a translation of an originally Spanish drama into German with the title Ain Hipsche Tragedia. The book was translated by Christoph Wirsung, Markus Wirsung's son, on the basis of an Italian version. In the dedicatory letter Christoph Wirsung reminds Lang multiple times of their family ties. Lang probably received the drama and the motet anthology at about or exactly the same time.
When Maximilian I passed away his will did not specify how his successor, Charles V, was to deal with the court staff. This also concerned the imperial court chapel (German: Hofkapelle) of which Ludwig Senfl was a member. Since Charles already had a chapel of his own at his disposal at his court in Spain, all of Maximilan's former singers feared losing their employment. It is not entirely clear where they resided in the wake of Maximilian's burial but it is presumed that a large number of them—including Senfl—left for Augsburg. It is likely that he began working at the Liber selectarum cantionum for Grimm and Wirsung during this time.
While Lang's status under Charles, too, was still unclear, Leonhard von Keutschach, prince-archbishop of Salzburg, died on June 7, 1519. Lang had been determined as his successor already in 1512. The riches of the archbishopric offered him the possibility to institute a courtly life that could approximate that of the emperor. On September 25, 1519, Lang was consecrated as a bishop and thereby became both the spiritual as well as the secular head of Salzburg. Soon he founded a chapel which was meant to suffice the highest aspirations. To this end he attempted to move former musicians of Maximilian to his own court which in all likelihood included Senfl. The music in the Liber selectarum cantionum seems to have been chosen very deliberately as it is taken from the former imperial chapel. It was their level of professionalism that Lang sought to emulate.
On October 28, 1520, the Liber selectarum cantionum was published, printed in the workshop of Grimm and Wirsung with a dedication to Lang, an epilogue by Peutinger and music, compiled and prepared for printing by Senfl.
Client It is still unclear who initiated the project of the Liber selectarum cantionum. Related to this is the question what intentions were pursued by printing the book. There have, however, been posited a few theories trying to elucidate this subject.
According to the first theory emperor Maximilian I commissioned the book and it was merely his unexpected death that dragged the endeavor into a crisis. Instead of abandoning the project, Grimm and Wirsung adapted everything to Lang as a dedicatee. A re-dedication of this kind was neither unique nor questionable in the 16th century.
Maximilian's enthusiasm for the technology of printing speak in favor of this theory. In his plan of 130 future books that were to exalt him and the House of Hapsburg he also listed a music book. One might also cite the seemingly unprofitable nature of the Liber selectarum cantionum which has been pointed out in reference to the imperial prints as well. If Grimm and Wirsung had been securely employed it would not have mattered to them if the book made a financial loss. Another feature shared with the imperial prints is the aesthetic since the book appears rather medieval even though the newest methods in printmaking were utilized. Furthermore, some of the imperial prints exist in two versions—one plainer and one more luxurious. In accordance with this differentiation, the Gebetbuch and the Theuerdank were printed on parchment and paper. There is a similar traditional distinction of two versions of the Liber selectarum cantionum (see "Contents"). Finally, the colored woodcut can be used as an argument in favor of Maximilian as it is the only German woodcut of the 16th century which employs gold but is the only one not directly associated with the Hapsburgs.
A different, yet more unlikely, possibility is that Senfl himself was the investor behind the book. A large amount of financial assets were necessary for a print of this magnitude which Senfl wouldn't have been able to raise. He would feature prominently in the paratexts (the foreword and the afterword) while he is mentioned rather briefly in actuality. In addition to this, he did not pursue employment in Salzburg but instead moved to Munich to serve at the court of William IV, Duke of Bavaria.
There are two plausible ways in which Grimm and Wirsung might have initiated the printing project. The first resembles the theory mentioned above. After Maximilian I had died, they took matters into their own hands using their own funds. According to the other possibility they began printing the book in order to gain Lang's favor and/or to sell the copies in the conventional manner. One argument for this theory is La Celestina. Its dedication was meant to flatter Lang like the one found in the music book. It is definitely possible that they strove to become his "personal" printers at his new court. The proposition that the prints were meant to be sold is supported by entries in the copies of Jáchymov and Berlin. Within these, prices were recorded for the purchase (and binding) of the books. However, they do not prove that indeed all of the prints were sold. In regard to this theory it must also be noted that Grimm and Wirsung hardly could have expected to turn a profit with this kind of a book. The expenses for the production of the large note types were considerable. The choice of music, too, was inappropriate since it could have been performed only by highly professional singer ensembles whose demand was low because they could supply themselves with handwritten copies.
Another highly unlikely theory is that the Sodalitas litteraria Augustana was behind the print. Peutinger himself showed no interest at all in music. Besides that, the aid of the Sodalitas usually was of an intellectual nature, not financial. Moreover, they focused on ancient literature, not contemporary music.
As per the last theory Lang himself commissioned the print. According to this thesis the Liber selectarum cantionum was a prestige project. Its copies would have been gifted in gratitude to his loyal followers in order to demonstrate his power to them. This proposition, though, is contradicted by the entries of the owners of the books. None of them are verifiably linked to Lang.[ earlier online version]
Contents