Leiden choirbooks
The Leiden choirbooks are six volumes of polyphonic renaissance music of the Franco-Flemish school copied for the Pieterskerk, Leiden and now preserved at the Erfgoed Leiden en Omstreken.
The books were compiled for the Pieterskerk's Zeven-Getijdencollege, a professional choir employed at the Pieterskerk, as at many large Dutch parish churches during the 15th and 16th Centuries, to celebrate the officium divinum as well as masses for the dead - or rather those of the dead rich enough to have had left bequests and endowments for masses to be sung for them. Leiden was the first city to acquire a professional college for these services, c.1440. Rotterdam, Delft in both churches, Haarlem, Gouda, Alkmaar, and finally Amsterdam also set up dedicated "college" choirs.
The Liturgy of the Hours in major Dutch churches in the 15th Century was as follows:
- Matins
- * including Lauds
- Prime, early morning
- Terce, mid-morning
- Sext, midday
- None, mid-afternoon
- Vespers, evening service
- Compline, night service
Apart from works by renowned masters such as Clemens non Papa, Crecquillon, Josquin des Prez, Johannes Lupi, and Jean Richafort, the books also include anonyma and compositions by less well-known Flemish and local composers, such as Claudin Patoulet, Joachimus de Monte, and Johannes Flamingus. A complete catalogue of the manuscripts and a detailed description of their history was published in 2018.
The Egidius Kwartet recorded major pieces from the 6 choirbooks in 6 annual 2CD releases from 2010-2015.