Reichert Verlag

Hugo von Montfort (1357-1423) played a considerable role both as politican and poet in the late Middle Ages. His political career culminated in his governship of Styria from 1413 to 1415. As a writer, he was well read and talented. His thematic interests include love-poetry (mostly addressed to his wife), laments for the dead and moral instruction. Best known is perhaps his poem about the sinful “Frau Welt”, portraying the traditional allegoric figure in a dialogue with the righteous knight, possibly the poet himself.
38 of his poems survive in a manuscript, currently housed in Heidelberg University Library. The volu me was prepared in Bregenz around 1414/15, possibly at the commission of the poet himself. It was illuminated by Heinrich Aurhayn in a highly artistic manner.
Hugo von Montfort holds a special position in the history of medieval German song in that he did not set his poems to music himself. Instead, he entrusted his squire Burk Mangolt with the composition. He was so satisfied with Mangolt’s work that he, unusually enough, made special mention of the composer in one of his poems. In musicology the manuscript is of interest for being one of the first to incorporate elements of mensural notation into traditional chant notation. Eight of Mangolt’s melodies survive uniquely in the manuscript. The facsimile makes the work of both the poet and his composer newly accessible. It faithfully reproduces the magnificent manuscript in six-colour printing. Special attention is paid to the nuances of gold employed to an extraordinary effect in the manuscript. The text volume includes essays by leading scholars (musicologists, philologists and art historians alike) as well as a full transcript of the text.