Fifteenth- and sixteenth-century music notations

Abstract

The conference ‘New perspectives in 15th- and 16th-century music notations’ took place from 4 to 7 May 2022 in Leuven, principally at a Premonstratensian abbey in beautiful surroundings at Heverlee, on the southern outskirts of Leuven. Around 40 delegates attended in person, many like myself enjoying their first such outing since before lockdown. Others participated virtually. Each day those of us physically present negotiated a historic spiral staircase to hear the papers, while outside geese honked and a heron kept a watchful eye. The gatehouse to the site now houses a hospitable brasserie, which was also the venue for an opening reception and a highly enjoyable conference dinner. The conference was quietly and efficiently led by Paul Kolb, supported by an international scientific committee, a local organizing committee and a committed team of helpers. The catalyst for the event was the 80th anniversary of the ‘landmark’ publication of Willi Apel’s The notation of polyphonic music, 900–1600. While the organizers saw it as still ‘the standard reference book for scholars interested in deciphering early polyphonic notations’, their wider aim was ‘to address a wide range of different perspectives that go beyond simply how the music should be transcribed’.