[EN]: This collection of essays is the first to focus exclusively on the Wittelsbach court of Duke William IV of Bavaria (1493–1550). The essays argue for a deeper understanding of this duke’s reign and acknowledge his crucial role in shaping the religious and cultural identity of the Duchy of Bavaria. By providing insights into the duke’s cultural aspirations, the organisation of the court, musical sources, religious musical practice, and everyday working life, this book has three main intentions: (1) it aims to situate the court of William IV in the context of the religious and political upheavals of the early sixteenth century; (2) it aims to trace the development of the musical repertoire of the Bavarian court chapel between 1520 and 1550; (3) and it aims to critically assess how ‘modern’ the Munich court actually was by re-evaluating the broader cultural, religious, and musical life of the court around 1520. The volume thus sheds light on the cultural ambitions of a duke wh defined music and art as expressions of strategic elements that interwove traditio piety and representation in a programme of governance based on humanist education—a duke whose foresight enabled the Munich court to quickly become one of the most prestigious and famous seats of power in the Holy Roman Empire.
Stefan Gasch is a research associate at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. He works on music and culture of the Renaissance in the Holy Roman Empire and has written and edited numerous publications on these topics. Gasch is co-author of Ludwig Senfl (c.1490–1543) – A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works and Sources (Turnhout: Brepols, 2019). He is editor-in-chief of the New Senfl Edition and the online platform Senfl’s World.
The Munich Court Chapel at 500 is available here.
[FR]: Ce recueil d’essais est le premier à se concentrer exclusivement sur la cour des Wittelsbach du duc Guillaume IV de Bavière (1493-1550). Les essais plaident en faveur d’une meilleure compréhension du rôle crucial du duc dans la formation de l’identité religieuse et culturelle du duché de Bavière. En fournissant des informations sur les aspirations culturelles du duc, l’organisation de la cour, les sources musicales, la pratique musicale religieuse et la vie professionnelle quotidienne, cet ouvrage poursuit trois objectifs principaux : (1) il vise à situer la cour de Guillaume IV dans le contexte des bouleversements religieux et politiques du début du XVIe siècle ; (2) il retrace l’évolution du répertoire musical de la chapelle de la cour bavaroise entre 1520 et 1550 ; (3) et il évalue de manière critique le degré de « modernité » de la cour de Munich en réévaluant la vie culturelle, religieuse et musicale plus large de la cour vers 1520. Cet ouvrage met ainsi en lumière les ambitions culturelles d’un duc dont la clairvoyance a permis à la cour de Munich de devenir rapidement l’un des sièges du pouvoir les plus prestigieux et les plus célèbres du Saint-Empire romain germanique.