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Pierre de la Rue and Musical Life at the Habsburg-Burgundian Court.

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Pierre de la Rue and Musical Life at the Habsburg-Burgundian Court. By Honey Meconi. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. [xiv, 385 p. ISBN 0-19-816554-4. $120.] Music examples, illustrations, catalog of works, bibliography, indexes.

Meconi's monograph on Pierre de La Rue is a welcome addition to Oxford University Press's studies devoted to individual composers of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Standing somewhat outside the expectations of a typical life-and-works volume, Meconi's book nevertheless provides fascinating insights into La Rue's world, adduced from the most meticulous consideration of archival documents, musical sources, and literary references. Pierre de la Rue unfolds in five chapters that are clearly written and free of jargon; detailed appendices, the bibliography, and indexes account for approximately one-third of the book's mass. In casting a wide net, comparing La Rue with other composers in his environs, Meconi's work will serve as an important resource for anyone undertaking advanced study of musical activity ca. 1480-1520.

The first two chapters explore the uncertainties of La Rue's early biography, his life at the Hapsburg court, and his status in comparison to the other musicians in service there. The details of La Rue's childhood in Tournai unfold rather easily,...

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