Table Of ContentTHE LADY OF SORROWS:
MUSIC, DEVOTION, AND POLITICS
IN THE BURGUNDIAN-HABSBURG NETHERLANDS
EMILY CATHERINE SNOW
A DISSERTATION
PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY
OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE
OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
RECOMMENDED FOR ACCEPTANCE
BY THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC
Adviser: Wendy Heller
November 2010
UMI Number: 3435945
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Abstract
Devotion to the Virgin of Sorrows arose in the Low Countries during a time of
recovery from severe political crisis. Following the civil unrest sparked by the untimely
death of Mary of Burgundy (d. 1482) and the decade-long uprising against her husband,
Maximilian of Austria, her son and young heir, Philip the Fair, was charged with
restoring unity to his fractured territories. Several leading members of Philip the Fair’s
court collaborated to propagate the Seven Sorrows devotion, at that time only a small lay
movement, offering it as a consolation for a troubled people. Relying on existing urban
social networks, such as the chambers of rhetoric, as well as established civic ritual,
Philip and his court promoted the devotion in hopes of restoring peace and unity to the
Burgundian-Habsburg lands.
This dissertation explores the genesis of the devotion to the Seven Sorrows of the
Virgin in the context of one of its most remarkable remnants, a music manuscript from
the early sixteenth century. Brussels Bibliothèque Royale, MS 215-16 (B-Br 215-16)
contains both plainchant and polyphony conceived or appropriated to celebrate the feast
of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin. The first two chapters of this dissertation provide the
historical background of the turmoil that precipitated Philip the Fair’s efforts to harness
the Seven Sorrows devotion for the court’s political agenda. The third chapter focuses on
the court’s most innovative initiative in propagating the devotion—a plainchant
competition, which had as its objective the creation of new texts and music for the liturgy
for the feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin. At the heart of the intersection between
politics, ritual, and devotion, this plainchant competition was arguably inspired by the
tradition of competition in the chambers of rhetoric.
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The first full-length study to consider both the plainchant and polyphony of B-Br
215-16, the last two chapters examine the plainchant created for the feast of the Seven
Sorrows of the Virgin and the polyphonic masses and motets of B-Br 215-16. Chapter
four confirms Peter Verhoeven as the winner of the text portion of the plainchant
competition and demonstrates the modeling of his office on earlier Compassion offices.
A comparison of musical settings of Verhoeven’s texts reveal three independent settings:
the plainchant of B-Br 215-16, newly discovered plainchant in Brussels, Bibliothèque
Royale de Belgique, MS 21123 as well as a setting in Vienna, Österreichische
Nationalbibliothek, Cod. Palatin. Vindobonensis 3787. An analysis of the polyphony of
B-Br 215-16 in chapter five demonstrates that the figure of the Virgin of Sorrows was
constructed through the use of liturgical and secular texts created or appropriated for the
devotion.
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Table of Contents
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………...iii
List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………..vi
List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………….vi
List of Musical Examples……..…………………………………………………………vii
Manuscript Sigla………………………………………………………..…...……………ix
Acknowledgments..…………………………………………………..……………………x
Chapter 1: Introduction…………………………………………………………...………1
Chapter 2: Ritual and Propaganda at the Court of Philip the Fair………………………26
Chapter 3: Competition and Liturgy at the Court of Philip the Fair…………………….52
Chapter 4: Plainchant for the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin………………..71
Chapter 5: Polyphony for the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin...……..…......131
Conclusion..…………………………………………………..…………………….......178
Appendix A: Chronology of Events……………………………...…………...…….…181
Appendix B: Transcription of the Ghedenckenisse ………………...………...……….186
Appendix C: Transcriptions of passages from Ortus, progressus, et impedimenta…....196
Appendix D: Transcription of Quodlibetica Office Readings……………...………….199
Appendix E: Notes on Plainchant Transcriptions.……...……..…………………...…..202
Appendix F: Plainchant Transcriptions……………..………………………………....206
Appendix G: Alphabetical Index of Plainchant Transcriptions……………...………..227
Bibliography…………………..………………………..………………….…………...228
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Tables
4.1 Comparison of the texts in the Quodlibetica and in German Sources…………….....86
4.2 Comparison of the Mass Propers for the Feast of the Seven Sorrows……….………94
4.3 Contents of B-Br 215-16………………….…….…….…….…….…….……..……..97
.
4.4 Contents of B-Br 215-216 (folios 44r-49v) …………………….…….…….…….....98
4.5 Contents of B-Br 21123 (folios 73r-75v) …………………….…….….…….…….104
4.6 Contents of A-Wn 3787 (folios 184r-186r) …………………….…….……..……..106
4.7 Contents of A-Wn 3787 (folios 92v-95v) …………………….…….…….……..…106
5.1 Sections of Missa de septem doloribus dulcissime Marie virginis………………....136
5.2 Sections of Missa quinque vocum de septem doloribus beatissime Marie virginis...136
5.3 Concordances of La Rue’s Missa de septem doloribus beatissime Marie virginis….146
5.4 Cantus firmus Treatment in La Rue’s Five-voice Masses….…….…….…….…….160
Figures
1.1 Mater dolorosa from the Ghedenckenisse ………….……….………………………..3
1.2 Madonna at Araceoli, Rome.……………………………………….……….………...3
1.3 Madonna and Child from the Ghedenckenisse……………………..…………………4
1.4 Madonna at Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome………………………..…………………..4
2.1 Frontispiece of Quodlibetica decisio, Antwerp Printing……..…….………...……...51
2.2 Frontispiece of Quodlibetica decisio, Schrattental, Austria Printing..….…………...51
5.1 The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin, Albrecht Dürer... ………………………………144
5.2 D-Ju 4, f. 42v, Seven Sorrows illumination………...…………..…………………..148
vi
Musical Examples
4.1a-c Veni in altitudinem………………..…….…….…….…….…….…………..109-111
4.2a-c Plorans ploravit……………….…….……...…….…….…….………….…113-115
4.3a-e Alleluia settings……………….…….…….…….…….…….…………...…118-121
4.4a-c Doleo super te……………….…….…….…….…..………..….…………...123-124
4.5a Epulari et gaudere……………….…….…….…….…….…….……………….….126
4.5b Audite obsecro….…………..…….……..…….……...…….……....…….……….126
4.5c Attendite obsecro……………….…….…….…….…….…….……………………126
5.1 Tenor of Anonymous Mass: Gloria…….….…….…….………………..…….…...153
5.2 Tenor of Anonymous Mass: Credo…….….…….…….………………..…….……153
5.3 Tenor of Anonymous Mass: Benedictus.…….….…….…….………………..……154
5.4. Tenor of Anonymous Mass: Agnus Dei I…….….…….…….………………...….154
5.5 Tenor of Anonymous Mass: Agnus Dei II…….….…….…….………………....…155
.
5.6. Tenor of Anonymous Mass: Pleni…….….…….…….….…………….….………156
5.7 Tenor of Anonymous Mass: Kyrie…….….…….…….………………..…….……156
5.8 Tenor of Anonymous Mass: Sanctus…….….…….…….………………..…….…..157
5.9 Tenor of La Rue’s Mass: Kyrie…...….…….……………………………………...162
5.10 Tenor of La Rue’s Mass: Qui tollis.….…….…….…………………………..…...164
5.11 Tenor of La Rue’s Mass: Agnus Dei I…….….…….…….…………………...….164
5.12 Tenor of La Rue’s Mass: Sanctus I….….…….…….………………..…….…..…165
5.13 Tenor of La Rue’s Mass: Agnus Dei II…….….…….…….………………..…….165
5.14 Tenor of La Rue’s Mass: Osanna I…….…...……..….……...……....……..….…166
5.15 Tenor of La Rue’s Mass: Gloria……….….…….…….……………………….…166
vii
5.16 Tenor of La Rue’s Mass: Credo….….…….…….………………….……….167-168
5.17 Opening motive in the tenors of the Kyrie, Credo, and Sanctus….…………….....169
5.18 Tenor of La Rue’s Mass: Osanna II….….…….…….…………………………....170
viii
Manuscript Sigla
A-Wn 3787 Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. Palatin. Vindobonensis,
3787
B-Br 215-16 Brussels, Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, MS 215-16
B-Br 6428 Brussels, Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, MS 6428
B-Br 15076 Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, MS 15075
B-Br 11359 Brussels, Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, MS 11359
B-Br 21123 Brussels, Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, MS 21123
CH-SGs 546 St Gall, Stiftsbibliothek, MS 546
D-Ju 4 Jena, Thüringer Universitäts - und Landesbibliothek, MS 4
I-Rvat 36 Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, MS Cappella Sistina 36
Abbreviations
GW Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke
ILC Incunabula Printed in the Low Countries: A Census
ISTC Incunabula Short Title Catalog
Transcription Norms
The spelling follows that of the source. Punctuation is modern, and proper names and
nomina sacra are capitalized. Abbreviations are silently expanded
ix
