Segovia Codex

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The Segovia Codex or the Segovia Manuscript is probably the most important collection of music from the 15th century . It was rediscovered in 1922 by the Spanish musicologist Higinio Anglés (1888–1969); a facsimile was not published until 1977. This codex is not a collection of well-known pieces, as was otherwise common at this time, but a manuscript with a large number of works that cannot be found anywhere else are passed down differently. It was named after the province of the Segovia diocese where this manuscript was written. The author of this Spanish edition is unknown, but must have had a good command of Dutch and was well informed about the musicians, because not all of them were as well known as Hayne van Ghizeghem , for example , who had become famous for his popular songs like "Allez, regrets" or " À l'audience “.

The Tarasconi Codex , which was published over 100 years later and which is now kept in Milan , had a similar meaning again .

content

The best-known representatives of this collection of sacred and secular vocal music are Jacob Obrecht , Heinrich Isaac and Josquin Desprez . The work contains a total of 204 compositions and is initially arranged in three- and four-part tone sets and then divided into ecclesiastical and secular as well as Spanish and “northern” pieces of music. The “more northerly” works are dominated by Obrecht with 28 works, but Isaac and Compère (16 each) are also well represented, with Juan de Anchieta most frequently represented by the Spaniards with ten pieces.

Overall, an astonishingly wide repertoire is presented, from powerful and sweeping masses to short Latin verses . The secular songs are in French , Flemish , Italian and Castilian and were more likely intended for use in the home or school sector. According to Baker, three different copyists can be identified: nine tenths are written by the main scribe, who wrote down almost all ecclesiastical works as well as all foreign secular songs, a second who wrote the section with the Spanish works and a third who added the last three pieces.

The reason for the collection has not been fully clarified. It is now believed that the work in honor of Isabella, the Catholic, was compiled between 1500 and her death in 1504. But also her daughter Johanna, die Wahnsinnige would be possible as a recipient, since she stayed in Flanders from 1504 to 1506. The most likely recipient is her older brother Johann , an enthusiastic amateur musician who died in 1497. His Kapellmeister and supposed teacher was one of the composers included in the manuscript, Juan de Anchieta.

Release history

A first excerpt appeared in Theodor Kroyer's “Festschrift for the sixtieth birthday on September 9, 1933” in Regensburg , in which he published Anglés “The Spanish Art of Song in the 15th and Early 16th Centuries”. A more complete edition appeared in 1936 in Acta Musicologica viii under the title "Un manuscrit inconnu avec polyphonie du XV e siècle conservé à la cathédrale de Ségovie (Espagne)"

Apparently there was a close connection between the musical world of Spain and that of Flanders . This codex possibly reflects the dynastic connection between the two families of the Aragonese crown and the House of Burgundy , their cultural exchange between the regions and the courts of the respective rulers. A special feature of these courtyards was a demanding patronage who sought the latest cultural achievements of their time in a highly educated and demanding manner. In addition, much points to the environment of the Catholic kings of both mansions.

Musical interpretations

So far, a CD with works from the Segovia Codex has been released:

  • Ensemble Qualia: "mundus et musica" - Instrumental music in Spain and Flanders approx. 1500, Carpe Diem Records , LC-01320 // CD-16294

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d Kenneth Kreitner: The Church Music of Fifteenth-Century Spain
  2. ^ Archivo Capitular de la Catedral de Segovía
  3. ↑ Norma Klein-Baker: "Unnumered Manuscript of Polyphony in the Archives of the Cathedral of Segovia: Its Provenance an History", Dissertation, University of Maryland, 1978

literature

  • Jon Banks: The Instrumental Consort Repertory of the Late Fifteenth Century , Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2006, ISBN 9780754653400
  • Kenneth Kreitner: The Church Music of Fifteenth-Century Spain Vol. 2; The Boydell Press, Woodbridge: 2004, ISBN 1 84383 075 2
  • Norma Klein-Baker: Unnumered Manuscript of Polyphony in the Archives of the Cathedral of Segovia: Its Provenance an History , Dissertation, University of Maryland , 1978