The manuscript is the sole surviving Ferrarese chansonnier of the late fifteenth century, the period of the reign of Duke Ercole I d’Este, who ruled Ferrara from 1471 to his death in 1505. Dating from about 1480, and made originally in connection with the betrothal of Isabella d’Este to Francesco Gonzaga, it is one of the most important and representative secular manuscripts that we possess from any Italian court of this period.

It contains a rich legacy of three-and four-voice secular piece...