On the Repertoire of the Manuscript A-Wn Mus.Hs. 15495

With the exception of the first composition, Jacob Obrecht’s Missa Salve diva parens (» D. Obrecht’s Missa Salve diva parens), all the Masses recorded in the Viennese deluxe choirbook A-Wn Mus.Hs. 15495 are highly modern works, created by contemporary composers who were (in a narrower or broader sense) associated with the French court: Antoine Févin, Loyset Compère, Antoine Bruhier, Pierrequin Thérache, and the famous Josquin Desprez, who was still alive at the time and whose music was popular at the French court.[13] Compared to earlier manuscripts from the Burgundian-Habsburg manuscript complex, the exceptionally strong presence of modern French repertoire represents a striking shift.

The reason for this shift in repertoire appears to lie in the political events of 1507/08: Maximilian had long been striving for the imperial crown, but the French and their allies, the Venetians, successfully blocked his efforts. As a result, Maximilian saw war as inevitable and launched a propaganda campaign against the French and Venetians at the 1507 Imperial Diet in Constance (» D. Isaac und Maximilians Zeremonien, Kap. Musik für den Konstanzer Reichstag 1507). These opponents ultimately prevented Maximilian’s journey to Rome and thus his legitimate coronation as emperor by stationing nearly 10,000 troops near Verona. However, on February 4, 1508, Bishop Matthäus Lang was able to proclaim Maximilian as emperor elect in a solemn ceremony in Trent Cathedral, thereby asserting his claim to the imperial crown. The Pope later confirmed his new imperial title.[14]

Shortly thereafter, in June 1508, the newly crowned Emperor Maximilian travelled to the Netherlands. There, his daughter, Archduchess Margaret, was preparing a major political turn: reconciliation with France. After weeks of negotiations in the autumn of 1508, an agreement was finally reached on December 10, resulting in the formation of the League of Cambrai, which was announced during a festive Mass in the local cathedral. Maximilian signed the treaties on December 26, 1508, and ratified the League at the Brussels court on February 5, 1509. Officially, the League was a pact against the Turks, but in reality, it was also a military alliance (with the stronger of the former enemies) against the Venetians. For both the French King Louis XII and Maximilian, this marked a radical reversal of previous alliance policies. The contemporary “French” repertoire of the manuscript A-Wn Mus.Hs. 15495 appears to reflect this fundamental political shift: The repertoire, apparently acquired during the negotiations with the French court and incorporated into the manuscript, reflects the new political and intellectual orientation that would decisively shape Europe for years to come. Beginning with A-Wn Mus.Hs. 15495, this orientation would long remain reflected in the Burgundian-Habsburg manuscript tradition.