POETIC AND CONFESSIONAL CHOICES IN THE PROTESTANT ANTHOLOGIES OF GERMANY IN THE 17TH CENTURY

Italian large and small-scale motets make up a considerable part of the musical repertoires in use in German Lutheran congregations during the first half of the seventeenth century. These repertoires enjoyed a wide circulation thanks to numerous printed anthologies of sacred music whose main aim was to teach polyphony and also satisfy the musical needs of Lutheran congregations. In these (often rather voluminous) anthologies, Italian motets often share editorial space with Choralmotetten , concertato motets and Kirchenlieder by German authors. It is interesting to note that the lyrics of several Italian pieces were adapted to bring them into line with the spiritual and functional requirements of the Lutheran confession. The present article aims to show the way in which this Italian repertoire was assimilated, and how its relationship to German Kirchenlied was negotiated taking into account the musical and poetic preferences of the Lutheran environment. It shows that musical interests and local vocal practice were not consistent with the apparent political and religious incompatibility between Roman Catholics and Protestants in the period leading up to the Thirty Years' War.