Mellange de Chansons, 1572

An annotated edition in modern notation of the collection of some 150 chansons, this book presents "the most important representative work" in late Renaissance French secular music. The introduction and critical notes discuss the source and its repertory. Concordances and musica ficta are provided, as well as English translations of the lyrics. Facsimile plates from the Mellange and from the recently re-discovered 1560 Livre de Meslanges are included. The Chansons, in five to eight parts, are by some of the most important as well as lesser Flemish and French late 15th- and 16th-century composers. A single madrigal appears in the collection. Few of the Mellange compositions are available in modern edition. Many of the chansons formed the basis of music for guitar, lute, harpsichord, organ, and string consort, found in French, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, German, and probably English and Hungarian sources. Major poets, notably Marot, Ronsard, and Petrach, are among lyricists."