Fashions of Old and New Songs: French Popular Printed Songbooks around 1535

Abstract

This article examines if and how French popular printed songbooks from around 1535 that do not contain music notation are connected to music books that do contain notes. It takes as a case-study the Parisian songbook known as 1535 after its year of publication. Based on thorough bibliographical analysis, this article contends that the only preserved copy of this popular songbook is a sixth edition. Most importantly, a careful examination of the book’s genesis reveals a pattern that indicates an important strategy applied by the printer to attract buyers: at every re-print, the songbook was enriched with the texts of recent hit songs that had just come off the presses of Pierre Attaingnant, royal printer of music. Taking this as a central starting point, the article explores the various ways in which musical traditions can be connected to popular print culture.