Merkley, Music and Patronage in the Court of René d'Anjou

Abstract

Historians of the late medieval Angevin court are all too aware of some of the difficulties of this area of research. The significant loss of archival materials and the undocumented dispersal of patrimony might seemingly offer unsurmountable obstacles. In this light alone, Merkley’s new book on the musical culture of the court of René d’Anjou (1409–1480), the last Duke of Anjou, sometimes King of Naples, and titular King of Jerusalem, is a remarkable contribution. The book focuses on the court of René d’Anjou and his queens, particularly Jeanne de Laval, at Angers and Aix-en-Provence. Merkley explores music’s place in the literary and ceremonial culture of the court, including its broader links with contemporary French courtly culture. Merkley succeeds in providing a lucid account of musical culture in the late Angevin court and contributes to a growing body of literature examining the role of Angevin queens and duchesses in matters of artistic patronage. This book will undoubtedly be of tremendous interest to scholars of Josquin des Prez and of other contemporary Franco-Flemish composers and musicians. Those working on 15th-century French courtly and religious art, book production, literary culture and women’s studies will also find much of worth in this book.