The Locham Songbook – Volume 1

Foreword

Today, the Lochamer-Liederbuch is one of the most important sources for German-language music in the 15th century and is therefore often referred to somewhat polemically and not entirely accurately as the “first German songbook”. In terms of structure and content, the manuscript corresponds most closely to the concept of the later collections, which are generally referred to today as “German songbooks”, and actually predates them as the earliest, fully preserved source. Nevertheless, it differs significantly from these in that it contains mainly monophonic songs or song-tenors instead of exclusively polyphonic ones, and does not use the later customary notation in partbooks. On the other hand, it is difficult to draw a dividing line to earlier collections of German songs or song texts, such as the Oswald codices or the mixed lyric collections, which go back to the anthologies of the minstrels. And finally, we should speak of the “first surviving” songbook, because the paths of transmission are characterized by chance and arbitrariness – we cannot even guess how many such collections have been lost over the centuries or are still slumbering undiscovered in some corner.

Nevertheless, the importance of the songbook with its 50 anonymous melodies and 32 instrumental arrangements is undisputed. With the exception of 3 Latin contrafacts, which belong to the supplements, practically all the songs are written in German, only 9 are notated for several voices and for only 3 can authors be attributed with certainty on the basis of parallel traditions: a melody by the monk of Salzburg, a tenor by Oswald von Wolkenstein and a contrafact to a tenor by Gilles Binchois.

Contrary to obvious assumptions, the Lochamer songbook, sometimes also referred to as the Locheimer songbook, originates neither from Locham nor from Locheim. The name of the manuscript was only given to it in the 19th century on the basis of an owner’s note on p. 37 – i.e. in the middle of the manuscript. There it says: “Wolflein von Lochamer is the gesenngk püch”. This owner and his entry are dated to around 1500. The book itself, however, was written in Nuremberg in the middle of the 15th century, initially in two separate parts written on paper: a song part and an instrumental part. Research into the manuscript has shown that the two were initially written separately and only brought together at a later stage, but apparently by the original owner of the manuscript himself. The majority of the manuscript was conceived by this one hand and produced around the year 1452, as some date entries testify. After this point, the parts were joined together and supplements were added by other hands over the following years. The main scribe can probably be identified with a certain Frater Judocus von Windsheim, who later added his name to the manuscript in 1460. He cannot be clearly traced outside the songbook, although there are speculations about his identity. However, it is clear from the context that he must have studied and may have become a clergyman later in his career. The main part of the songbook was probably written during his student years. It is certain that he came from the Nuremberg area and belonged to the circle of the famous blind organist and lutenist Conrad Paumann – he may even have been a pupil of Paumann himself. Apparently he was able to play a keyboard instrument and possibly also make adjustments (“intavolations”) for it himself. Stylistically, the arrangements, although often simpler, fit into the so-called “Paumann school”, as it presents itself to us above all in the Buxheim Organ Book (ca. 1460).

A special feature in the instrumental part of the Lochamer-Liederbuch (LOCH for short) and in the Buxheimer Orgelbuch (BUX for short) is the “Fundamentum organisandi”, which is attributed to Conrad Paumann by name in both sources. This is a kind of composition and improvisation lesson for the keyboard instrument: given certain melodic movements of a fictitious lower voice, possibilities for an improvised and ornamented counterpoint as the upper voice are presented as examples. This type of collection of examples has a long tradition and in vocal improvisation practice goes back to such models as the “Vatican Organumtraktat” (13th century) or the “Compendium de discantu mensurabili” (1336) by Petrus dictus palma ociosa. For the instrumental treatment of improvised counterpoint, however, Paumann’s “Fundamentum” is a novelty and brings LOCH’s instrumental pieces into a clear connection with the Paumann school.

The intavolations of LOCH’s instrumental part are sometimes arrangements of monophonic and polyphonic pieces from LOCH’s song part, so that there is a relationship between the two halves of the manuscript: the repertoires overlap, but do not coincide. From the typeface and content it is clear that both parts belong together in any case and that the main scribe at least in part deliberately made intavolations of pieces that had already been available to him as songs and had found their way into his collection.

A detailed scholarly discussion of the manuscript, its origin, structure, provenance, scribal hands, notation, etc. can be found in the secondary literature, which is listed in the annotated bibliography. Particularly noteworthy are the introduction to the edition by PetzschL, the afterword by AmelnN and the monographs by PetzschS and SalmenS (these abbreviations are also resolved in the bibliography).