Pierre de la Rue and Musical Life at the Habsburg-Burgundian Court

A study of the life, music and historical reception of Pierre de la Rue, leading composer at the famed Habsburg-Burgundian court of Maximilian I, Philip the Fair, Juana of Castile, Marguerite of Austria and the future Charles V. It draws on extensive documentation to present acomplete record of the transmission of his music across Europe.

Pierre de la Rue, composer at the grande chapelle of the Habsburg-Burgundian court for nearly a quarter of a century, composed for one of the leading musical institutions of his day. Serving successive rulers Maximilian I, Philip the Fair, Juana of Castile, Marguerite of Austria, and the future Charles V, La Rue surpassed a dozen composer colleagues in his creation of polyphony to meet the needs of the court and its extravagant liturgy. Honey Meconi presents the first ever study in English of la Rue''s life and career, exploring aspects of his compositional output and highlighting the reawakening of modern scholarship to his unique contribution. Extensive documentation of the events of his life and a complete record of the transmission of his music across Europe make this study essential for everyone studying the musical court in Europe at the turn of the 16th century.