Four German manuscripts of the fifteenth century (Lochamer Liederbuch and Fundamentum organisandi, bound together as Berlin, Staatsbibliothek, Mus. MS 60413; Schedelsches Liederbuch, Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cim. 351a; and Buxheimer Orgelbuch, Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cim. 352b = Mus. MS 3725) contain a number of French, Italian or English pieces that were adapted or altered through instrumental arrangement or replacement of the original English, French, or Italian texts with German or Latin texts. These four manuscripts form a cohesive group with regard to time of origin and contents, as each manuscript includes foreign pieces also present in the other manuscripts. Therefore, these manuscripts are useful for understanding dissemination of foreign works, demonstrating the popularity of well-known composers such as Du Fay as well as the popularity in Germany of lesser-known composers such as Johannes Touront.

Index Classifications: 1400s

Contributed by: Amanda Jensen