‘Besolte Instrumentisten der Königlichen Stadt Breslaw’: The Hess Brothers’ Anthology (1555) and Its European Context^*

Abstract

The paper focuses on a comprehensive dance collection compiled by two Wrocław/Breslau town musicians (Stadtpfeifer), the brothers Bartholomäus and Paul Hess. The anthology, partly preserved at Wrocław University Library, was published in 1555 at the Wrocław printing house of Crispin Scharffenberg and documents the transition of dance repertoire from the courtly realm to the private and public spheres, which was typical of the mid-sixteenth century. The Wrocław collection, scored for wind ensemble, contains 477 four- and five-part dances of German, Polish, French, and Italian provenance. The paper offers some new views on the repertoire from the collection. Particular attention has been given to the so-called Polish dances.