A Florentine chansonnier from the time of Lorenzo the Magnificent : Florence, Bibl. Nazionale Centrale : MS Banco Rari 229 / [2] Text volume.

344 Pages·1983·42.749 MB·English

by  Brown, Howard Mayer

A FLORENTINE CHANSONNIER
FROM THE TIME OF LORENZO
THE MAGNIFICENT
MONUMENTS OF
RENAISSANCE
MUSIC
EDWARD E. LOWINSKY
Founding Editor
HOWARD MAYER BROWN
General Editor
Volume VII:
A FLORENTINE CHANSONNIER
A FLORENTINE CHANSONNIER
FROM THE TIME OF LORENZO
THE MAGNIFICENT
Florence, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale
MS Banco Rari 229
Edited with an Introduction by
HOWARD MAYER BROWN
French texts established and edited by Brian Jeffery
and translated into English verse by Max Knight
Text Volume
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS
CHICAGO & LONDON
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
@1983 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. Published 1983
Printed in the United States of America
89 88 87 86 85 84 83 12345
Illustration facing title page from Silvestro Ganassi,
Regolo Rubertina (Venice, 1542)
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING IN PUBLICATION DATA
Biblioteca nazionale centrale di Firenze.
Manuscript. Banco rari 229.
A Florentine chansonnier from the time of
Lorenzo the Magnificent.
(Monuments of Renaissance music; v. 7)
Bibliography: p.
Includes indexes.
1. Chansons, Polyphonic. I. Medici, Lorenzo
de', 1449-1492. II. Brown, Howard Mayer.
III. Jeffery, Brian. IV. Knight, Max. V. Title.
VI. Series.
M2.M489 vol. 7 [M1579] 81-16515
ISBN 0-226-07623-7 AACR2
The music in this volume was prepared by Prestige Music Engraving.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
PART ONE: THE MANUSCRIPT
I Introduction: The Contents of the Manuscript 1
II Description of the Manuscript 5
III The Illuminators of the Manuscript: Gherardo and
Monte di Giovanni 9
IV The Frontispiece 16
V Tubalcain and the Coat of Arms 23
VI The Medallions 27
VII The First Owner of the Manuscript: Alessandro
Braccesi 32
VIII The Choice of Composers 42
PART TWO: MUSIC AND POETRY IN
FLORENCE 229
IX Courtly Poetry and Popular Poetry 52
X Chansons by Busnois, Agricola, Martini,
and Isaac 71
XI The Other Chansons in the Manuscript 99
XII Compositions with Non-French Texts or Incipits,
and Those without Text 125
PART THREE: ANALYTICAL AND EDITORIAL
PROBLEMS
XIII Related Sources and Variant Readings 143
v
CONTENTS
XIV Modes and Conflicting Signatures 150
XV Text Underlay 168
PART FOUR: THE COMPOSITIONS AND THEIR
CONCORDANCES
XVI List of Sources with Sigla or Short Titles 181
XVII Notes on the Compositions and Their Texts 206
Index of Composers 311
Index of Compositions 317
Vl
ILLUSTRATIONS
The illustrations follow page 70
xx
I The front cover of Florence 229. Detail of Florence 229, fol. V.
II Florence 229, fol. IW. XXI Bologna, Museo Civico, MS 95, fol. 4 v.
III Florence 229, fol. IVv. XXII Pietro Perugino (?),Portrait ef a Youth,
IV Florence 229, fol. V. Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
v
Florence 229, fols. 6v-7. XXIII Portrait of Alessandro Braccesi (from
VI Florence 229, fols. 26v-27. Ignazio Orsini, ed., Azioni gloriose degli
VII Florence 229, fols. 61 v-62. uomini illustrifiorentini, n. p. n. d., pl.
VIII Florence 229, fols. 66v-67. XXVI).
IX Budapest, National Szechenyi Library, XXIV Portrait of Alessandro Braccesi, Uffizi
Clmae 347, fol. 79v. Gallery, Ceiling of west corridor,
x
Florence, Biblioteca Medicea-Lauren- Florence.
xxv
ziana, Cod. Plut. 15. 17, fol. 3v_ Portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici (from
XI Florence, Biblioteca Medicea-Lauren- Grazzini, Tutti i triorifi, ed. Rinaldo
ziana, Cod. Plut. Plut. 15. 17, fol. 4. Bracci, 2 vols.
XII Budapest, National Szechenyi Library, [Cosmopolis, 1750], l:lxii).
Clmae 347, fol. 1 v. XXVI Portrait of Alessandro Braccesi (from
XIII Florence, Museo Nazionale, Cod. 68, Grazzini, Tutti i trionfi 2:549).
fol. 127. XX VII Plate XXVI reversed.
XIV New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, XXVIII Florence 229, fol. 167'.
MS M.496, fol. 93. XXIX Florence 229, fol. 36v.
xv xxx
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library, Dijon 517, fol. 152'.
MS M.496, fol. 2. XXXI Florence 229, fol. 71 v.
XVI Paris, Bibliotheque nationale, MS fonds XXX II Paris 15123, fol. 10v.
fr. 15123, fols. 1 v-2. XXXIII Paris Rothschild 2973, fol. 29v.
XVII Paris, Bibliotheque nationale, MS fonds XXXIV Wolfenbiittel 287, fol. 63'.
xxxv
fr. 15123, fols. 3'-4. Washington, Laborde, fol. 12v.
"
XVIII Detail of Florence 229, fol. V.
XIX Details of Filarete's bronze door for St.
Peter's, Rome.
vu

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
M
usicologists could scarcely do their job ifit tasks, she proofread the music against the manu
were not for the extraordinary gener script with tireless good cheer. Gloria Ramakus,
osity and helpfulness of staff members in libraries Forbes Shepherd, and Fiorella Superbi all had a
everywhere in the world. In the first place, I am hand in typing various drafts of the manuscript, for
deeply grateful to the authorities of the Biblioteca which I thank them warmly.
Nazionale Centrale in Florence for granting me I am grateful, too, to the John Simon Gug
permission to publish this edition of one of their genheim Memorial Foundation and to Villa I Tatti,
most splendid treasures. But I am grateful, too, to the Harvard University Center for Italian Renais
the staffs of all the other libraries cited in this work; sance Studies, for generous grants that enabled me
without fail they have been generous in sending me to spend two winters in Florence. Publication of
microfilms and photographs of the material in their this edition has been made possible partly through
custody. I owe a special debt of gratitude to the grants made by the Guggenheim Foundation, the
Deutsche Musikgeschichtliche Archiv in Kassel for department of music of the University of Chicago,
making available easily and quickly films of books and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
and manuscripts from a number oflibraries, includ It was my colleague of many years standing and
ing some that are otherwise very difficult of access. the founding editor of this series, Edward E. Low
Many friends and colleagues shared with me insky, who first suggested to me that I prepare an
their knowledge during the preparation of this edi edition of Florence 229 for the Monuments of Ren
tion. I have acknowledged their help in particular aissance Music, and I am deeply grateful to him for
instances in the following pages, although most of encouraging me during the time it took to prepare
them gave generously of their time and expertise these volumes. Not least of his many good sug
beyond the specific help for which I thank them gestions was his inspired idea that Brian Jeffery
explicitly. In particular, I am grateful to Allan should establish the French texts and that Max
Atlas, Norma K. Baker, Bonnie ]. Blackburn, Knight should make rhymed translations. The ac
Frank A. D' Accone, Jeffrey Dean, the late L. M. J. tive collaboration of these two gentlemen has
Delaisse, the late Edward G. Evans, Jr., David helped me, in more ways than I can begin to tell
Fallows, W. P. Gerritsen, Anne Harvey, Nancy them, to understand better the nature of the music
Helmbold, Leonard Johnson, Herbert Kessler, that has been our chief concern. Moreover, they
Rene B. Lenaerts, Mirella Levi D' Ancona, Lewis have both been unfailingly patient, kind, and help
Lockwood, Thomas MacCracken, Jeremy Noble, ful in the face of my constant barrage of questions.
Leeman Perkins, Nino Pirrotta, Lawrence Rosen Not least, I am grateful to the members of the
wald, Braxton Ross, H. Colin Slim, Martin Stae University of Chicago Press who have helped see
helin, and Arthur S. Wolff. this edition through the press in the most painless
During the years Kaye Clements Mack served as possible way.
my assistant, she helped in innumerable ways to
improve this edition. Among her more onerous Howard Mayer Brown
IX