The Medici Codex of 1518 is a music book prepared for the Pope Leo X

Pope Leo X

Pope Leo X , born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, was the Pope from 1513 to his death in 1521. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known for granting indulgences for those who donated to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 Theses...

, the second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent of the Medici

Medici

The House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...

 family who was pope from 1513 to 1521.

The codex contains 53 motets and was presented to Leo's nephew Lorenzo de' Medici

Lorenzo de' Medici

Lorenzo de' Medici was an Italian statesman and de facto ruler of the Florentine Republic during the Italian Renaissance. Known as Lorenzo the Magnificent by contemporary Florentines, he was a diplomat, politician and patron of scholars, artists and poets...

, Duke of Urbino at his wedding to a French princess in 1518.

Lowinsky, in the facsimile edition (1968) proposed that Jean Mouton

Jean Mouton

Jean Mouton was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was famous both for his motets, which are among the most refined of the time, and for being the teacher of Adrian Willaert, one of the founders of the Venetian School....

 was the editor. The book contains a tribute motet to Leo Gaude felix Florentia by Andreas de Silva

Andreas de Silva

Andreas de Silva was a composer, possibly Portuguese, or likely Spanish, who is known mainly from inclusion of five motets in the Medici Codex.Now attributed to de Silva is a madrigal Che sentisti Madonna misattributed to Verdelot in 1537....

, motets by composers of the Franco-Flemish school

Franco-Flemish School

In music, the Franco-Flemish School or more precisely the Netherlandish School refers, somewhat imprecisely, to the style of polyphonic vocal music composition in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries, and to the composers who wrote it...

, including Jean Mouton

Jean Mouton

Jean Mouton was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was famous both for his motets, which are among the most refined of the time, and for being the teacher of Adrian Willaert, one of the founders of the Venetian School....

, Johannes de la Fage

Johannes de la Fage

Johannes de la Fage was a composer of the Franco-Flemish school.His works include motets in the Medici Codex, and a motet "Elisabeth Zachariae".-References:...

, Josquin Desprez, Pierrequin de Thérache

Pierrequin de Thérache

Pierrequin de Thérache also Pierre or Petrus de Therache was a French renaissance composer from Nancy.He served as master of the children from 1500–1527, was maître de chapelle of René II and Antoine de Lorraine and musician in the chapel of Louis XII...

, Adrian Willaert

Adrian Willaert

Adrian Willaert was a Flemish composer of the Renaissance and founder of the Venetian School. He was one of the most representative members of the generation of northern composers who moved to Italy and transplanted the polyphonic Franco-Flemish style there....

 and Inviolata integra et casta es by the Italian Costanzo Festa

Costanzo Festa

Costanzo Festa was an Italian composer of the Renaissance. While he is best known for his madrigals, he also wrote sacred vocal music...

.

Editions

• The Medici Codex of 1518, Volume 1 1968
• The Medici Codex of 1518, Volume 2 1968
• A recording of nine the motets, and two others, was made in 2010 by Cappella Pratensis, conducted by Joshua Rifkin
  Joshua Rifkin
  Joshua Rifkin is an American conductor, keyboard player, and musicologist. He is best known by the general public for having played a central role in the ragtime revival in the 1970s with the three albums he recorded of Scott Joplin's works for Nonesuch Records, and to classical musicians for his...