Manuscripts from Mannheim, ca. 1730-1778

The extraordinary renown of Mannheim in the eighteenth century came to a jarring end in 1778 with the reluctant transfer of the court to Munich. One of the many consequences of this move was the apparent disappearance of all the music used by the famed Mannheim Kapelle. This book establishes precisely what happened to this invaluable collection, demonstrating through intensive documentary study that over 350 manuscripts from the electoral court have in fact survived. Complete details of these manuscripts are furnished in an exhaustive catalogue raisonné and three related appendices. In addition to providing an indispensable basis for future research on music at the Mannheim court, the book gives extensive attention throughout to the methodology of documentary research; it may thus serve as a comprehensive introduction to the study of music manuscripts of the period.