Tielman Susato and the Music of His Time

Book excerpt: Ambitious, versatile, and extraordinarily talented, Tielman Susato carved out a distinguished place for himself in the Renaissance cultural scene. He began his professional life as a trombonist in the Antwerp civic band. This was one of the outstanding ensembles of the day, but he soon expanded his range of activity as a musical scribe, preparing manuscript collections for an avid market that developed in the rapidly growing Flemish urban centers. He subsequently moved on and established one of the foremost publishing houses in Europe, providing an impeccably selected musical repertory that found a ready market then and which engenders respect even today among musicians and students of Renaissance music. In addition, he was a composer of exceptional talent, supplying superb pieces in all the genres that would have been desired in the elite urban and courtly circles of the time. In this volume a group of prominent scholars has contributed essays surveying a broad range of topics concerning Susato. These provide details of his biography (some only recently available), discuss aspects of his publications, investigate his compositional techniques, and lay out contexts for Susato's highly varied and remarkable career.