In 2015 the Alamire Foundation in Leuven was approached by an art historian working on behalf of an art dealer, seeking musicological advice about a small musical manuscript. Research immediately revealed it to be not simply an old music book, but a previously unknown 15th-century chansonnier. Since the original owner could not yet be identified it was named the “Leuven Chansonnier”, reflecting its new location. The book is of exceptional value. It includes 50 compositions, consisting of one religious work (Ave Regina celorum by Walter Frye) and 49 French chansons. Although no composers’ names are mentioned, thanks to concordances with 38 chansons in contemporaneous chansonniers, the composers of 26 chansons have been identified; these include such leading 15th-century Franco-Flemish names as Johannes Ockeghem, Antoine Busnoys, and Firminus Caron. The rest of the chansons have remained anonymous. 

Booklet: EN, FR, IT, NL

Lyrics: FR, EN, NL