This CD surveys the music library of the Renaissance jurist, art and book collector, accomplished amateur musician, and friend of Erasmus, Bonifacius Amerbach (1495-1562), whose famous portrait by Hans Holbein adorns its cover. Amerbach’s collection contains vocal and instrumental works from Germany, France and Italy, including the sole surviving copy of Andrea Antico’s first printed publication of frottole (1510). 

Apart from the frottola composer, Bartolomeo Tromboncino, the organists Hans Kotter and Paul Hofhaimer, and Ludwig Senfl, the composers here are minor masters of the Upper Rhine and Württemberg regions, such as Benedictus Ducis, Wolfgang Dachstein and Sixt Dietrich. Michal Gondko’s booklet notes provide a fascinating, survey of this repertoire.

La Morra performs its skilfully selected and ordered programme alternately with an alta (loud) ensemble featuring a slide trumpet, shawm, sackbut and cornett, a bassa (soft) ensemble consisting of lute, bass viol, flute, and clavicytherium (an upright harpsichord, modelled on the late 15th-century instrument of the Royal College of Music in London), and the occasional solo lute or keyboard.

Ninot Le Petit’s keyboard intabulation of Mons seul plasier is arranged for a gentle clavicytherium and lute duo, while excitement is provided by the bursts of florid ornamentation from William Dongois’s cornett in the alta ensemble, reflecting the c.1500 emergence of the cornett virtuoso, Augustein Schubinger. In addition, Arianna Savall’s lovely soprano is heard in three works, including Tromboncino’s famous Vergine bella, with Gondko’s lute taking the lower voices. In a word: delightful. CHRISTOPHER PRICE