The Leuven Chansonnier I (Introduction)

The discovery of the Leuven Chansonnier (LC) is one of the most significant developments of recent years in the study of fifteenth-century song. New sources of this age are rarely found and are often fragmentary or damaged, but the LC is in excellent condition and appears to be preserved in its original binding. Given that the last time a similar songbook came to light was in 1939, the importance of this source is considerable. It contains one Latin motet and forty-nine French songs, some of which are among the most widely transmitted of their time, while twelve are unica that could have been lost forever had the LC not survived.

Publication year:2020

Keywords:Leuven, chansonnier, polyphony, manuscript

Accessibility:Open