'Agricola Versus Alamire: The Lie of the Sources'

Fitch, FJ

Abstract

This article challenges a long-held assumption that the manuscript sources known collectively by the designation of their presumed scribe ('Scribe B') are part of a so-called Hapsburg-Burgundian scriptorium working at the Netherlands court. The principal scribe for this complex of Mss. was Petrus Alamire. It is here shown that the two scribes and the manuscripts attributed to them are distinguished repertorially to an extent that has not previously been remarked upon, and that there is no hard evidence to link Scribe B manuscripts either with this putative scriptorium or with the Netherlands court. The source distribution of the Mass music of Alexander Agricola, a leading figure at the Burgundian Court chapel, is used as a test case for these new hypotheses.

Citation

Fitch, F. (2003). 'Agricola Versus Alamire: The Lie of the Sources'. In B. Bouckaert, & E. Schreurs (Eds.), The Burgundian-Habsburg court complex of music manuscripts (1500-1535) and the workshop of Petrus Alamire : colloquium proceedings, 25-28 November 1999, Leuven (299-308). Alamire

• Publication Date: 2003-04
• Deposit Date: Jun 21, 2006
• Pages: 299-308
• Series Number: 5
• Book Title: The Burgundian-Habsburg court complex of music manuscripts (1500-1535) and the workshop of Petrus Alamire : colloquium proceedings, 25-28 November 1999, Leuven.
• Keywords: Alexander Agricola, Manuscript sources.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1692163
• Publisher URL: http://www.nsds.be/web/musica/alamire/eng/alamiredetaileng11268.htm
• Additional Information: Yearbook of the Alamire Foundation, vol. 5.