Antwerp songbook
Encyclopedia
The Antwerp songbookThe Antwerp songbook (in Dutch the Antwerps liedboek and on the cover Een schoon liedekens. Boeck inden welcken ghy in vinden sult. Veelderhande liedekens (a nice songbook in which you will find several songs) was published in Antwerp in 1544 by printer Jan Roulans.
of some 221 'old' and 'new' Dutch
songs (Oude en nyeuwe) to banish sadness and melancholy (Om droefheyt ende melancolie te verdrijuen), with reference to the tune to which it was sung but without any musical notation.
At least 5 editions of the songbook are known: folio‘s from 2 probably older editions survived as reinforcement of the cover of other books while the structure of the preserved copy implicates that two earlier editions have existed. Thus, only one edition is preserved in one copy only, collected by Duke August von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel
and conserved in the Herzog August Bibliothek (the library also known as Bibliotheca Augusta) in Wolfenbüttel
.
The reason why only one copy survived must be that two years after publication this songbook was put on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
, the index of forbidden literature of the Catholic Church’s infamous Inquisition
. The printer died later on in prison, where he was held because of having printed clandestine literature. Not that much the political songs, in favour of the House of Habsburg, but rather the songs about depraved and liscencious monks and nuns might have disturbed the Inquisition. Probably, the few copies left in the Netherlands
after the songbook was put on the index, were destroyed by French librarians eager to make disappear every trace of Flemish
culture in the Southern Netherlands
.
The only copy left of the small booklet was discovered in the library of Wolfenbüttel by Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben
who provided also the first modern edition in 1855. A more recent complete edition of the songbook, with the tunes referred to in some 142 songs and found in other songbooks of the period, appeared in 2004 with a double cd by Camerata Trajectina
.
The Antwerp songbook is the first printed large collection of Dutch songs known, to have survived the centuries. Many songs had been transmitted through oral tradition since the end of the Middle Ages
: in those cases, the tune was referred to as an oudt liedeken, an old song. Many songs, printed for the first time in the Antwerp songbook, were already known for centuries by that time and were included in several songbooks and anthologies.
The songs reflect life in the cosmopolitan port town Antwerp in the 16th century. Some songs, for instance, are Dutch versions of German
songs while others were sung to French
tunes. They give a varied impression of a lively community, with a good deal of courting and drinking taking place, as well as featuring songs by people who cared for their freedom of speech.
History
The songbook includes lyricsLyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
of some 221 'old' and 'new' Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
songs (Oude en nyeuwe) to banish sadness and melancholy (Om droefheyt ende melancolie te verdrijuen), with reference to the tune to which it was sung but without any musical notation.
At least 5 editions of the songbook are known: folio‘s from 2 probably older editions survived as reinforcement of the cover of other books while the structure of the preserved copy implicates that two earlier editions have existed. Thus, only one edition is preserved in one copy only, collected by Duke August von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel
Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Augustus of Brunswick-Lüneburg , called the Younger, was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In the estate division of the House of Welf of 1635, he received the Principality of Wolfenbüttel....
and conserved in the Herzog August Bibliothek (the library also known as Bibliotheca Augusta) in Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, located on the Oker river about 13 kilometres south of Brunswick. It is the seat of the District of Wolfenbüttel and of the bishop of the Protestant Lutheran State Church of Brunswick...
.
The reason why only one copy survived must be that two years after publication this songbook was put on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
Index Librorum Prohibitorum
The Index Librorum Prohibitorum was a list of publications prohibited by the Catholic Church. A first version was promulgated by Pope Paul IV in 1559, and a revised and somewhat relaxed form was authorized at the Council of Trent...
, the index of forbidden literature of the Catholic Church’s infamous Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
. The printer died later on in prison, where he was held because of having printed clandestine literature. Not that much the political songs, in favour of the House of Habsburg, but rather the songs about depraved and liscencious monks and nuns might have disturbed the Inquisition. Probably, the few copies left in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
after the songbook was put on the index, were destroyed by French librarians eager to make disappear every trace of Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
culture in the Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands
Southern Netherlands were a part of the Low Countries controlled by Spain , Austria and annexed by France...
.
The only copy left of the small booklet was discovered in the library of Wolfenbüttel by Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben
August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben
' , who used Hoffmann von Fallersleben as his pen name, was a German poet. He is best known for writing "Das Lied der Deutschen", its third stanza now being the national anthem of Germany, and a number of popular children's songs.- Biography :Hoffmann was born in Fallersleben , Brunswick-Lüneburg,...
who provided also the first modern edition in 1855. A more recent complete edition of the songbook, with the tunes referred to in some 142 songs and found in other songbooks of the period, appeared in 2004 with a double cd by Camerata Trajectina
Camerata Trajectina
Camerata Trajectina is a Dutch early music ensemble.The ensemble was founded in Utrecht in 1974 by Jos van Veldhoven and Jan Nuchelmans...
.
The Antwerp songbook is the first printed large collection of Dutch songs known, to have survived the centuries. Many songs had been transmitted through oral tradition since the end of the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
: in those cases, the tune was referred to as an oudt liedeken, an old song. Many songs, printed for the first time in the Antwerp songbook, were already known for centuries by that time and were included in several songbooks and anthologies.
The songs reflect life in the cosmopolitan port town Antwerp in the 16th century. Some songs, for instance, are Dutch versions of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
songs while others were sung to French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
tunes. They give a varied impression of a lively community, with a good deal of courting and drinking taking place, as well as featuring songs by people who cared for their freedom of speech.
Principal source
- Het Antwerps liedboek, edition by Dieuwke E. van der Poel, Dirk Geirnaert, Hermina Joddersma and Johan Oosterman, reconstruction of the tunes by Louis Peter Grijp, published by Uitgeverij Lannoo & Delta, Tielt, 2004 ISBN 90-209-5523-3 (inf. Deltareeks.nl)
Discography
- Antwerps liedboek, by the Paul Rans Ensemble, directed by Paul Rans, 1993, label Eufoda 1183
- The Antwerp Songbook, by Camerata Trajectina, directed by Louis Peter Grijp, 2004, label Globe 6058
- ObrechtJacob ObrechtJacob Obrecht was a Flemish composer of the Renaissance. He was the most famous composer of masses in Europe in the late 15th century, being eclipsed by only Josquin des Prez after his death.-Life:...
. Chansons, Songs, Motets. by Capilla FlamencaCapilla FlamencaCapilla Flamenca is a vocal and instrumental early music consort based in Leuven, Belgium. The group specialises in 14th to 16th Century music from Flanders and takes its name from the choir of the court chapel of Emperor Charles V...
and Piffaro, 2005, Eufoda 1361. Contains a recording of TandernakenTandernakenTandernaken, al op den Rijn was once a very popular Middle Dutch song about two girls who in Andernach, a city in Germany on the left Rhine bank, were spied on by the lover of one of the girls, who was listening to their conversation on love affairs from a distance.-Middle Dutch text:The complete...
from the Antwerp Songbook.