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The arrival of Bianca Maria Sforza

Helen Coffey

One occasion that gave rise to accounts of musical performances during the early years of Maximilian’s governance of the Tyrol, was the celebration of his marriage to Bianca Maria Sforza, daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, in spring 1494. The wedding had taken place by proxy in Milan on 30 November 1493, Maximilian represented by Margrave Christoph of Baden, and now, in Innsbruck, the newlyweds would celebrate together.[29]  Bianca Maria had left Italy for Innsbruck on 5 December with a large entourage, including members of her family. After making various stops en route, she arrived in Imst on 20 December where she was met, not by Maximilian, who had been detained in Vienna, but by Sigmund and his wife Katharina. From Imst she travelled to Innsbruck, arriving there on 22 December and spending Christmas with the old Duke and his young Duchess.[30]

Such a politically significant union called for the fullest possible display of courtly entertainments as well as detailed reports of events by the envoys present. In ambassadorial correspondence of this period – normally so focussed on political matters – we therefore find regular references to the wedding celebrations, including the role of musicians therein. Reports of the Ferrarese envoys of Duke Ercole D’Este are particularly illuminating in this respect. In December 1493, for example, his ambassadors reported home on the dancing that had been held in honour of the new queen on 24 December, following her arrival in Innsbruck (see » Abb. Letter from the Ferrarese ambassadors):[31]

Abb. Letter from the Ferrarese ambassadors to Duke Ercole D’Este

Abb. Letter from the Ferrarese ambassadors to Duke Ercole D’Este

Undated letter from the Ferrarese envoys, Innsbruck, to Duke Ercole D’Este, Ferrara . Archivio di Stato di Modena (I-MOs), est disp amb germ, busta 1, recto.

Transcription:

La S[erenissi]ma Regina con la Compagnia sua gionse In Hispruch: la p[rossim]a sera nanze la vigilia de natale se balo de le hore 4 lo Illmo S. Duca de Austria volse Incomenzare la festa luy & ballo con la Sma. Regina facendosi portare in chatedra quia Confectus senio et mala ualitudine non se puo movere. La meglio de anni 80. Ballo anche la Illma sua Consorte la quale e gioveneta de anni 22 e quasi de la statura de barbora pure e alquanto meglio formata de airina signorile li ochi et Cilii negri con li Capilli, tuto el resto ch[e] se vede e bianchissi[m]a p[re]ter labia coralina. In testa porta vno rioto come antiquamente vsauano In lombardia ch[e] li fa parere testa grossa como vna mina nel quale riote porta de richissime gioye et p[re]cipie perle, el balare suo a alongarescha como altreuolte se balava li in Castello a M[i]l[an]o, altra mutatione no[n] vsano se no[n] che qualcheuolta se fermano & tochano la mane a le Done la drita con la drita poy la sinistra con la sinistra poy lhomo abraza la dona facendo mostra de basarla poy fa vna volta lhomo e torna al locho prima, et quando la danza è finita lhomo va acompagnare la dona al locho suo et li mete una man dinante et laltra di dreto. Son queste Thodesche domestiche & humanissime vltra modo tanto a licentia laman de tochare quanto lhomo de vedere [;] questi Costumi no[n] dispiaceno molto a le n[ost]re done Incomenzano ad adaptarse assay bone vno Costume barbaro havere. quando se vole comenzare el ballo correno Impetuosamente adast[i]o luno de laltro Thodeschi ho[min]i facti a tore le torchie de mane a li regazi & duy se meteno nante al ballo p[er] guidar[e] & ballano Insieme tuti duy, altri se meteno fora del p[er] el ballo & con quelle Torchie fano de barbari acti senza rispecto Cazandole ne li Capelli & panni a chi se la fa denante et più voluntiera fano questo serizo [servizio?] con li Lombardi. Hersera la Ill.[ustrissima] Duchessa con le donzelle sue se conze la testa da homo lassando gire li Capelli p[er]le spalle crespi & vna birreta rossa a la fogia ria [&] Barbora [;] p[r]ia se misse in testa vno uolto et tuta se vestite a la Thodescha [.] Fuo Bellissima festa a vedere ma le torchie guastauano ogni Cosa: la Cita de hispruc[h] e bipartita & p[er] mezo li corre vno fiume dimandato Lijn la parte verso lombardia è In forma de borgo villa grossa ma vltra d[i]c[t]o fiume e murata de grandeza del Castello de anello[?] o pocho piu le Case bellissime de fora e para edificata tuta in vno anno, è Civille e ynchantescha.

 

(The most serene queen reached Innsbruck with her entourage. The following evening, before Christmas Eve, they danced from four o’clock. His most illustrious Lordship, the Duke of Austria wanted to start the festivities and dance with the most serene queen. He was carried there in a chaise as he is elderly, in poor health and cannot move well. He is over 80 [recte 66] years old. His most illustrious consort also danced, who is a young lady of 22 [recte 25] years old and almost of a Barbaric [i.e. Germanic] stature, yet she is somewhat better formed and has a noble air, the eyes and brows black like the hair, everything else that is visible is perfect white, apart from the coralline lips. On the head she is wearing a wreath as they used to wear in Lombardy in ancient times, which makes her head appear large like a bomb, on which wreath she has the richest jewels and exquisite pearls. Their dance is the alongaresca [Hungarian dance], as is sometimes danced in the castle in Milan; they did not make any changes, except that sometimes they stop and touch hands with the ladies, the right with the right, then the left with the left, then the man embraces the lady as if to kiss her. The man then makes a turn and returns to his place. And once this dance (movement) is finished, the man accompanies the lady to her place, placing one hand in front, and the other behind her.

These German ladies are exceedingly accommodating and humane, as much for the licence of touching hands as for letting the men see; these customs do not displease our ladies much, they begin to adapt themselves very well to having a barbaric custom. When they wish to begin the dancing, the German men are running impetuously and in contest with one another, in order to tear away the torches from the boys, and two of them place themselves in front of the dance to lead, and the two dance together; others place themselves outside the dance and with these torches do gross acts without respect, making them catch hair and clothes of those in front, and preferably they do this trick to the Lombards. Yesterday evening the Illustrious Duchess with her ladies dressed their heads as men, letting their hair tumble down freely over the shoulders and wearing red berets of a wild and barbaric form; previously she had placed a face-mask on her head, and dressed herself all in the German fashion. It was a beautiful feast to see, but the torches damaged everything. The city of Innsbruck is bipartite and through the middle there runs a river called the Inn; the part towards Lombardy is in the guise of a large market town but the city across the river is walled all around the castle and somewhat beyond, the houses looking beautiful from the outside, and it all seems built in a single year, civilised and enchanting.)

[29] Weiss 2010, 56.

[30] Hochrinner 1966, 33-39.

[31] Archivio di Stato di Modena est disp amb germ, busta 1, undated letter, recto. A summary of the letter is presented in Regesta Imperii Online XIV,1 n. 2877: http://www.regesta-imperii.de/id/1493-12-24_1_0_14_1_0_2882_2877 (accessed 01.11.2019).