A Neglected Anthology of Sacred Vocal Music Dating from the Sixteenth Century

Abstract

In the last four decades of the sixteenth century, a notable feature of printed anthologies of polyphonic vocal music was the proliferation of collections assembled and edited by individuals other than printers and publishers. This went hand in hand with naming the editors in the publications themselves, usually on the title pages. One such example is the anthology that is the subject of this article, Suavissimorum modulorum selectissimae cantiones sacrae ex praestantissimis quibusdam musicis collectae (Munich, 1590). All its pieces are anonymous and the editor, Stephan Schormann, is acknowledged on one of the title pages. The copy of this anthology in the British Library has largely been overlooked. It differs significantly from other extant copies since it includes contemporary ascriptions added by Adam Gumpelzhaimer (1559–1625), the well-known composer and Kantor of St Anna in Augsburg. The identification of many of its works and concordances substantially augments our knowledge of its music and history.

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