Maximilian I's Musical Endowments

As a patron, Maximilian's use of music for self-promotion is well-known. His promotion of sacred music, however, served a double-function, both as a gesture of earthly power, and for the salvation of his soul. In this paper, I investigate the patterns by which Maximilian endowed votive services for himself and his family, and the musical specifications for these endowments that are preserved in surviving documents. I attempt to identify some of the music that may have belonged to these services, and also offer a rereading Maximilian's grandest musical project, the series of mass-propers composed for him by his court-composer Heinrich Isaac, in this light.