A liturgical-repertorial study of 16th-century polyphonic music in "Bartfa MS 8"

Abstract

Along with the other volumes of the Bartfa Collection , the 16th-century MS 8 was discovered in the Lutheran town of Bartfa (today Slovakia). While the manuscripts and prints of the Bartfa Collection have been somewhat neglected by Western scholars, the present study shows that this topic is worthy of attention. In examining the historical context, the role of the schoolmaster, Leonard Stockel stands out as particularly interesting; his life-time friendship with Luther and Melanchthon directly links Bartfa to the German Lutheranism. The German link is also apparent in MS 8 itself, as according to Muranyi, it was copied in Southern Germany ca. 1555. In this research, a thorough watermark study has also been carried out, the results of which challenge the established date and may shift it to as early as 1545. Furthermore, a reportorial study focusing on the anonymous compositions has been taken into consideration along with Bartfa's unique Lutheran liturgical practice.