programme and abstracts - Alamire Foundation

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the successive stage of these ceremonies taking place in the three
cities of Königsberg at the turn of the 16 th and 17 th centuries, in
a broad context of similar ones taking place in other Hanseatic
centres. I would like to point out similarities and differences
between them in reference to the nuptial habits, people
participating and the music performed (vocal and instrumental
pieces as well as dances).
It would be also important to focus on wedding ceremonies
taking place at the Königsberg prince court, which accounted, to
a great extent, for the specificity of that Prussian townresidence.
Details concerning various aspects of wedding
ceremonies could be found in the successive church regulations
(Kirchenordnungen), state regulations (Landesordnungen) as
well as wedding ordinances (Hochzeitordnungen) passed in the
course of the 16 th century in Ducal Prussia, which have not been
analysed so far in the context of musical culture. The Prussian
Duchy, as the first secular Protestant state in the world, had to
create regulations concerning all the ceremonies, including the
weddings. As for the music composed for Königsberg weddings,
there are about 200 extant pieces by various composers, with
Johannes Eccard and Johannes Stobaeus as central figures. The
analyses of their diverse repertory of wedding music, proved,
especially in the case of polychoral works, considerable links
with north-European musical tradition and musical output of the
composers active in Hanseatic towns, mainly of the Baltic
Region.