| Record ID | cp010121 |
| Voet reference number | 1306 |
| Museum Plantin-Moretus | c:lvd:1132915 |
| Author | Georges de la HÈLE |
| Title page transcription | [Printed typographically in the two cut-out medallions of a copper engraved title-page:] □ OCTO ‖ MISSAE ‖ quinque, sex, ‖ et septem ‖ vocum, ‖ auctore ‖ GEORGIO DE LA HELE ‖ apud insignem cathed. Tornacensem ‖ Ecclesiam Phonasco; ‖ Jam primum in lucem editae. ‡ Antverpiae ‖ Ex officina Christophori ‖ Plantini Typographi regii. M.D.LXXVIII. |
| Collation | Folio (550 × 407): pages [1-5]; folios II-CCLXX, [CCLXXI]. No signatures; the foliation in roman numerals is repeated on both pages of the open sheets (left and right) (Errors: folio VI is given as VI [on the left page] and VII [on the right page]; the foliation continues with VIII; LXXXVIII: not numbered) |
| Fingerprint | |
| Number of sheets | |
| Pages | [1]: Title [2]: Blank [3-4]: Philippo Austrio secundo…Georgius de la Hele sacrae eius Maiestatis alumnus…(Tournai, 1 October 1577) [5] (= on recto-side of folio II): Table (parts in italic type); II-CCLXX: Text and music [CC LXXI]: Blank |
| Edition information | |
| Illustrations | Title-page in copper engraving, 500 × 357, with cut-out medallions for the typographically printed texts: disposed in an arch, ten representations of music instruments and of musical performances of a religious nature, with underneath, between two representations, Plantin's compasses with his device Labore et Constantia. Reproduced in Stellfeld, plate VI. Original plate in Museum Plantin-Moretus |
| Copies | Museum Plantin-Moretus- R 38.7: title-page missingKBR Royal Library of BelgiumBibliothèque du ConservatoireMunicipal Library TournaiStaatsbibliothek, Vienna |
| Bibliographical references | Ruelens-de Backer, pages 205-206 (1579, no. 27) A. Goovaerts, Histoire et bibliographie de la typographie musicale dans les Pays-Bas, 1880, pages 253-254, no. 251 Stellfeld, pages 26 ff |
| Online bibliographical references | |
| Note 1 | Monumental edition (the largest book printed by Plantin) with decorated initials and music: 4 masses with 5 voices on motives of Orlando di Lassus, Cyprianus de Rore and Thomas Crequillon; 2 masses with 6 voices on motives of Orlando di Lassus; 2 masses with 7 voices on motives of Josquin des Prets. Published in two versions: on very large paper, intended originally for choirbooks commissioned by Philip II for Spain (price: 18 florins Carolus guilders), and on 'papier commun' (price: 15 florins Carolus guilders). |
| Note 2 | In the dedicatory to Philip II the composer remembers his services as a chorister at the Royal Chapel, and expresses the hope that the monarch will continue his favours. This hope was not deceived: in 1581 de la Hèle was received head of the Royal Chapel at Madrid. |
| Note 3 | In some letters to de Çayas Plantin explains how, owing to the troubled times and his financial needs, he has been forced to use reams of the beautiful and large paper intended for printing the big choirbooks commissioned by Philip II for other works, including 200 reams for the Missae of de la Hèle (cf. Corr., VI, no. 817, pages 44-45 [December 1578-January 1579], and no. 940, page 290 [5 September 1581]). See also Stellfeld, page 26. Part of the edition, however, was printed on cheaper paper. |
| Note 4 | On 21 August 1578 de la Hèle signed a contract committing himself to buy 40 copies 'au prix que ledit Plantin les tauxera aux libraires en me rabatant encore oultre ledit prix quelque gracieusité telle qu'il luy plaire me ottroijer'. He would take 6 copies at a time, paying after selling them, but the whole lot had to be taken and paid within a year after the contract (Corr., VI, no. 806; Suppl. Corr., no. 243; Stellfeld, pages 28-29). In fact, de la Hèle took only 4 copies (noted on 6 September 1578; cf. Stellfeld, page 29) - and did not pay them (cf. further in text). He played the innocent in his letter of 12 March 1581 to Plantin (Corr., VI, no. 922; Stellfeld, pages 29-31): for the moment being in Arras on his way to Madrid, he had received through d'Oyenbrugghe, cantor and canon at Tournai, a letter detailing Plantin's complaints that he owed the printer as much as 100 livres de gros (some 600 florins Carolus guilders). He was astonished as he thought he owed Plantin only the price of 5 to 6 copies of his Missae. He admitted that he had signed a contract, but explained that, in view of the troubled times, it had been impossible for him to acquire and sell them. Now that he was going to Spain, he wanted to receive 'bon nombre de volumes pour porter par dela quante moy, tant pour satisfaire a nostre contract que pour y gaigner dessus quelque chose'. As the copy of the Missae he had already shipped to Philip II was defective, he would highly appreciate if a copy on 'grand papier' could be bound immediately to take it with him in order to present it personally on his arrival to the King. Plantin, however, did not seem to have executed the request. On 15 June 1586 the printer wrote another letter reminding de la Hèle of his obligations (Corr., VII, no. 1113; Stellfeld, page 31), but no reply was received. In Arch. 20, folio 42, is noted by J. Moretus on the date of 1 January 1582 that de la Hèle still owed the firm 62 florins Carolus guilders for '2 du grand papier à 16 florins Carolus guilders et 2 du c[ommun] à 15 florins Carolus guilders', which the composer had received on 6 September 1578 'oultre les exemplaires que mon pere luy a donnes jusques à - [not noted] exemplaires'. J. Moretus notes also dutifully that, as de la Hèle committed himself to take 40 copies, there remained still to his debit 36 copies for a total value of 596 (?; or 396 florins Carolus guilders ?). |
| Note 5 | Stellfeld, pages 32 ff., noted the sales of the Missae: till 1589 only 42 copies (15 in 1578, 7 in 1579, 4 in 1580, 3 in 1581, 3 in 1582, 1 in 1583, 2 in 1585, 1 in 1586, 4 in 1587, 1 in 1588, 1 in 1589). The sales continue till well into the 17th century, but in 1630 there were still 95 copies in stock. |
| Note 6 | Listed in M 296, folio 11v (Missae octo G. de la Hele fº magno regali, f[euilles] 275, [prices:] florins Carolus guilders 18 [and] florins Carolus guilders 15, Anº 1578). This means that the copies on 'royal' paper cost 18 florins Carolus guilders, the copies on 'papier commun' 15 florins Carolus guilders |
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