Petrus Alamire, the Habsburg-Burgundian Scriptorium and its Partbooks

The doctoral research focuses on five manuscripts in partbook format, i.e. five sets of matching codices, from the early 16th century, which were produced in Habsburg-Burgundy court circles. More specifically, these are four manuscript sets from the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (VienNB 18832, VienNB 15941, VienNB 18746 and VienNB 18825) and one from the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (VatP 1976-1979). They are the only surviving manuscripts in this format from the studio of Petrus Alamire known for his production of choirbooks. Moreover, they are by far the only manuscripts in which the hand of Alamire himself can be clearly demonstrated - thanks to their often informal character.

Previously, it was assumed that all five sets were part of the Fugger collections, but in the end this appears to be the case for only three of them. The study of the literature in the first phase of the research showed that these rather simple manuscripts have remained under the radar of the musicological research of the last decades. However, their format, tradition, and repertoire make them extremely interesting. Within the Alamire corpus they form an important source for the motet and the chanson. Crucial research questions within the study concern the format of the manuscripts (they are among the earliest surviving examples), the way in which they were created (copying process) – with particular emphasis on the role of Alamire himself – and their subsequent ownership. With these questions, the study tries to contextualise the manuscripts. Partial questions that are reflected upon regard textlessness, anonymity, and functionality.