This polyphony will soon also translate into ‘la polyphonie’: in addition to the Dutch and English versions, all the videos are now also available with French subtitles. The journey of the past year has already yielded some impressive numbers: across five platforms, viewers have— at the time of writing— clicked ‘play’ 333,493 times in dozens of countries, from the United States to Germany, from Hungary to Australia and Japan. Three years of preparation resulted in a one-year project, fifty videos, fourteen experts, and some 110 minutes of interview. The entirety of this remarkable achievement can now also be watched in the integral version Leuven Chansonnier in All Perspectives. Find a list of all 50 questions below:

• Episode 0: Everything you need to know about the songbook in a nutshell, before you tune into the integral film of all questions and answers.
  
  
• Episode 1: Adam Knight Gilbert - Did a composer in the fifteenth century work with pre-existing melodies?
  Adam Knight Gilbert, musician, professor at the USC Thornton School of Music (US), and Senior Fellow at the Alamire Foundation, kicks off the series. He explores how existing musical patterns can find their way into new compositions.
  
  
• Episode 2: Sigrid Harris - What are the songs about?
  Which topics are addressed in the song texts of the Leuven Chansonnier? Sigrid Harris, Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Queensland (AU), provides insight into the overarching theme of the poetry in the songbook and its cultural significance in the fifteenth century.
  
  
• Episode 3: Sean Gallagher - Do these fifteenth-century composers have a distinctive style?
  How can one distinguish the music of a specific composer? Did the composers of the fifteenth century have their own distinctive style? Expert Sean Gallagher, affiliated with the New England Conservatory of Music (US), explains how he has gotten to know these composers and their music over time.
  
  
• Episode 4: Adam Knight Gilbert - Which composers do we find in the Leuven Chansonnier?
  The Leuven Chansonnier contains 50 compositions by the foremost composers of the fifteenth century. Is it possible to identify these composers and the area in which they were active? Adam Knight Gilbert provides an overview of the most prominent figures from this period who can be linked to the songbook.
  
  
• Episode 5: Jane Alden - What is a chansonnier?
  The Leuven Chansonnier was discovered around ten years ago, providing us with beautiful songs from centuries ago. But what exactly is a ‘chansonnier’? Professor at Wesleyan University (US), Jane Alden, clarifies the meaning of this term and the context in which this genre of books gained popularity.
  
  
• Episode 6: Scott Metcalfe - What is a chanson?
  The Leuven Chansonnier contains 49 polyphonic chansons for three or four voices. But what exactly does the term chanson entail? Are there specific musical characteristics that define these works? In which language was the poetry typically written, and in which regions did such compositions circulate? Scott Metcalfe, artistic director of the ensemble Blue Heron (US), provides an introduction to the genre.
  
  
• Episode 7: Sigrid Harris - Does the poetry have specific structures?
  The Leuven Chansonnier is not only a key source for fifteenth-century Franco-Flemish polyphony, but also holds a treasure trove of French poetry. What poetic forms did fifteenth-century composers draw upon, and where do these structures originate? Sigrid Harris provides insight into the poetic building blocks of these chansons.
  
  
• Episode 8: David Fallows - Which piece opens the songbook?
  With the exception of a single composition, the Leuven Chansonnier consists entirely of polyphonic secular chansons. However, the first piece of the manuscript is Walter Frye’s Ave regina caelorum. What do we know about this work, and was it customary to open a songbook with a religious composition? David Fallows, Emeritus Professor at the University of Manchester (UK), sheds light on his research into the story of one of Frye’s most famous works.
  
  
• Episode 9: Fabrice Fitch - Who was Johannes Ockeghem?
  The Leuven Chansonnier is an important source for the research into the chanson repertoire of Johannes Ockeghem. What do we know about this composer, who was one of the leading musical figures of his time? Fabrice Fitch, composer and Senior Research Fellow at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, provides an introduction to the life and work of this Franco-Flemish polyphonist.
  
  
• Episode 10: Adam Knight Gilbert - Do we recognize a composer by his musical patterns?
  Can the chansons from the Leuven Chansonnier be analyzed in terms of specific musical forms or structures? Adam Knight Gilbert provides an explanation of how he identifies particular patterns and what they may reveal about the composer’s way of thinking.
  
  
• Episode 11: Jane Alden - Where do we situate the Leuven Chansonnier?
  The Leuven Chansonnier was most likely produced in the second half of the fifteenth century. To what extent can the provenance of this particular type of manuscript be determined? Jane Alden offers an analysis of the various factors that contributed to the association of such songbooks with a specific geographic region.
  
  
• Episode 12: Sean Gallagher - What are the challenges in attributing anonymous works?
  The Leuven Chansonnier does not include the names of any composers. As a result, the attribution of the compositions was based on concordances and musicological research. Nevertheless, a significant number of works remain anonymous to this day. How can these songs be linked to a specific composer? Sean Gallagher explains his approach and discusses the potential challenges involved.
  
  
• Episode 13: Scott Metcalfe - How does the form of the poems define the songs?
  The fifteenth-century songs from the Leuven Chansonnier were composed on French poetic texts. Where did the poetic forms originate, and what is the relationship between the poetry and the music? Scott Metcalfe sheds light on the emergence of a fixed formal structure and the French poetry of the fifteenth century.
  
  
• Episode 14: Fabrice Fitch - Are there many unique songs in the Leuven Chansonnier?
  The Leuven Chansonnier contains not only anonymous works but also a dozen compositions that have not been found in any other source. Can these chansons be attributed to known composers? Fabrice Fitch provides insight into the quality of these works and suggests which prominent composers may be associated with some of these unique pieces.
  
  
• Episode 15: Marc Lewon - Who composed the unique songs?
  Several unique songs from the Leuven Chansonnier evoke associations with the style or sound world of certain renowned composers. Marc Lewon, professor at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and artistic director of Ensemble Leones, draws on his experience in performing these chansons to identify the composers he considers the main suspects.
  
  
• Episode 16: Sean Gallagher - How many songs have we lost?
  When the Alamire Foundation first started its research into the Leuven Chansonnier some 10 years ago, it had been almost a century since a similar songbook had been discovered. Furthermore, the Leuven Chansonnier contains twelve previously unknown compositions, marking an exceptionally rare and significant find. This discovery raises important questions regarding our understanding of the song repertoire of the period. Sean Gallagher elaborates on the extent of songs that might have gone lost over the centuries and explores the implications that the identification of a new source may have on our comprehension of this repertoire.
  
  
• Episode 17: Honey Meconi - Is there a connection between the music and poetry?
  The medieval French texts from the Leuven Chansonnier are defined by the formal structures and patterns of the so-called formes fixes. How did the composer engage with this material? Honey Meconi, Arthur Satz Professor at the University of Rochester, explains to what extent the music relates to the structure of the poetic forms, as well as to the thematic content of the poems.
  
  
• Episode 18: Baptiste Romain - What is your view on the interpretation of the chansons?
  The Leuven Chansonnier was made in the second half of the fifteenth century. How does a modern performer approach this centuries-old music today, more than 500 years later? Baptiste Romain, professor at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and artistic director of Le Miroir de Musique, illustrates the aesthetics of the repertoire, sheds light on his decision-making, and indicates to what extent improvisation can be part of the performance.
  
  
• Episode 19: Adam Knight Gilbert - Do the songs have shared musical patterns?
  The Leuven Chansonnier contains numerous anonymous songs for which authorship is still uncertain. Yet, several chansons, including the unica, contain musical material that may suggest a connection with other compositions. Adam Knight Gilbert analyses some of the recurring motives of these ‘songs that know each other’.
  
  
• Episode 20: Marc Lewon - How do you approach the newly discovered pieces?
  The Leuven Chansonnier not only contains a treasure trove of Franco-Flemish polyphony but is also the source of twelve unica—compositions previously unknown prior to the discovery of this songbook. How does a performer approach this newly uncovered material in the present day? Marc Lewon, who recorded the unica with the Ensemble Leones, offers insight into the process, from transcription to performance.
  
  
• Episode 21: Jane Alden - Who were the patrons of the Loire songbooks?
  The Leuven Chansonnier offers clues that could shed light on the manuscript's provenance. Closely related fifteenth-century chansonniers mention, both directly and indirectly, specific individuals who were likely the owners or commissioners of these valuable songbooks. This raises the question: Were these treasured manuscripts exclusively owned by prominent figures at court, or should we consider a wider network of patronage, involving other wealthy and culturally engaged individuals? Jane Alden provides insight into the milieu in which these chansonniers circulated.
  
  
• Episode 22: David Burn - What do we know about the scribes?
  The music and poetry in the Leuven Chansonnier were transcribed with meticulous precision. Every detail—from the notes, accidentals, mensural signs, and clefs to the Latin and French texts—was carefully penned down within the limited writing space on the parchment. Was this the work of a single scribe, or of multiple hands, each responsible for a separate part of the copying process? David Burn, professor at KU Leuven (BE) and the author of the first comprehensive study of the manuscript in the Leuven Library of Music in Facsimile series, sheds light on the number of scribal hands that we can distinguish in the Leuven Chansonnier.
  
  
• Episode 23: Sigrid Harris - How is Fortune represented?
  Dame Fortuna, who with her wheel symbolizes the vicissitudes of life, has been a recurring motif in the visual arts and literature since ancient times. The Leuven Chansonnier also makes several references to the incalculable twists of fate in compositions such as La despourveue and L'omme banny. Sigrid Harris explains the role Fortune played in fifteenth-century song culture and discusses the prominent presence of (mis)fortune in the Leuven Chansonnier.
  
  
• Episode 24: Scott Metcalfe - How do you transcribe the music and the poetry?
  Although the readings from the Leuven Chansonnier are generally convincing, in some of the chansons we find errors in the music notation or poetry that make transcription slightly more challenging. These discrepancies range from minor contrapuntal inconsistencies to the omission of words or even entire stanzas, necessitating meticulous analysis to produce a well-founded modern edition suitable for performance. Scott Metcalfe, who, alongside Fabrice Fitch, examined the unique pieces from the Leuven Chansonnier, provides insight into the challenges that may arise during transcription and offers solutions to address these issues.
  
  
• Episode 25: Thomas Schmidt - What material is the songbook made of?
  The Leuven Chansonnier was meticulously copied by the hands of multiple scribes: manu-scriptum, “written by hand.” Yet the making of a manuscript required more than the accurate notation of music and text—it also demanded the craftsmanship necessary to produce the physical book itself. Thomas Schmidt, Professor of Music and Head of the School of Arts at the University of Manchester (UK), offers insights into the intricate production process that resulted in this beautifully crafted songbook.
  
  
• Episode 26: Honey Meconi - Who wrote the poems?
  As with the absence of composer attributions in the Leuven Chansonnier, the poetry contained within the manuscript has likewise been transmitted anonymously. Through textual concordances with contemporary poetic anthologies, certain figures—such as Jean Molinet and Charles d’Orléans—may be identified as potential authors. Nonetheless, the attribution of many texts remains uncertain. Honey Meconi provides insight into the origins of the poetry and discusses possible candidates for its authorship.
  
  
• Episode 27: Scott Metcalfe - Which parts were performed instrumentally?
  All but one of the compositions in the Leuven Chansonnier are set for three voices. The question of how these pieces should be performed remains a subject of ongoing interest within the early music scene. Were the three parts exclusively destined for vocal rendition, or was an instrumental performance also customary? And if so, which instruments would have been appropriate? Scott Metcalfe offers thoughtful reflections on how he approaches these questions in his interpretation of the chansons, exploring how one might decide between vocal and instrumental performance.
  
  
• Episode 28: Jane Alden - What do we know about fifteenth-century song culture?
  Unlike the works composed within a religious framework, we have a less clear picture of the historical context of fifteenth-century secular music. The way in which the songs from the Leuven Chansonnier were performed, and the context for which this music was originally intended, remain the subject of scholarly research. Jane Alden provides insight into contemporary descriptions of the period and explains how a manuscript such as the Leuven Chansonnier fits into our understanding of fifteenth-century song culture.
  
  
• Episode 29: Baptiste Romain - How would the chansons have been performed?
  The performance practice of the fifteenth-century song repertoire and the role of instruments within it have been the subject of extensive scholarly debate. While arriving at a definitive answer remains elusive, performers today are nonetheless compelled to confront these questions in order to bring the chansons to life. Baptiste Romain shares his perspective on the balance between vocal and instrumental interpretation, as well as the range of instruments that may be appropriately employed.
  
  
• Episode 30: David Burn - Can we identify scribal concordances?
  A select group of fifteenth-century songbooks, collectively referred to as the Loire Valley chansonniers, are connected by a range of shared characteristics. Among these, scribal concordances serve as a key tool in mapping the relationships between these manuscripts. How does the Leuven Chansonnier fit into this network, and can we identify the handwriting of its copyists in comparison to those of other manuscripts? David Burn explores how we can pinpoint the specific identity of a scribe and discusses the precision with which the music and text was copied in the Leuven Chansonnier.
  
  
• Episode 31: Anna Danilevskaia - How much room for interpretation do we have?
  The modern performer is separated by approximately five centuries from the moment when the music and texts were copied in the Leuven Chansonnier. This historical distance presents significant interpretive challenges: How should musicians today engage with this material? How can we navigate the tension between fidelity to the source, respect for the repertoire, and the imperative to render the music meaningfully for a contemporary audience? Artistic leader of the Sollazzo Ensemble, Anna Danilevskaia, who provided the complete recording of the Leuven Chansonnier, explores how historical awareness and artistic creativity can mutually inform one another in the pursuit of a historically informed yet compelling performance practice.
  
  
• Episode 32: Ryan O'Sullivan - Do we know who the songbook’s original owner was?
  Research into the provenance of the Leuven Chansonnier is essential to grasping the broader music-historical context in which this remarkable manuscript was produced. Where and for whom was the songbook created? Ryan O’Sullivan, who studied aspects such as provenance, transmission, and authorship as part of his doctoral research on the Leuven Chansonnier, sheds light on the identification of the songbook's original owner. A first clue can be found inside the chansonnier: a coat of arms adorns the verso of the front flyleaf—a first step in reconstructing the early history of this precious manuscript.
  
  
• Episode 33: Jane Alden - What do we know about the Loire Valley chansonniers?
  Because of numerous similarities, the Leuven Chansonnier has been frequently associated with the so-called Loire Valley songbooks. This group includes several notable fifteenth-century sources, often referred to by specific names, held today in collections across various international institutions. Jane Alden navigates through this intricate network of interconnected manuscripts, shedding light on their relationship to the Leuven Chansonnier and offering a deeper understanding of their shared musical and cultural context.
  
• Episode 34: Thomas Schmidt - What do we know about the illuminations in the songbook?
  Although small in size, the Leuven Chansonnier immediately catches the eye with its beautifully preserved textile binding. Inside, the manuscript reveals a treasure trove of Franco-Flemish polyphony, carefully penned on parchment sheets. Yet the manuscript appears rather simple and modest on the inside. Thomas Schmidt analyzes the initials and margins of the Leuven Chansonnier and explains how the illuminations relate to those of similar sources from the period.
  
  
• Episode 35: Honey Meconi - Does the songbook contain poetry written by women?
  Compared to other songbooks from the same period, the Leuven Chansonnier contains a remarkable number of poems written from a female perspective. Honey Meconi explains whether the narrative voice might offer clues about who wrote the texts and what it might tell us about the origin and destination of this remarkable collection.
  
  
• Episode 36: Ryan O'Sullivan - Are there indications pointing to secondary owners?
  The coat of arms on the front flyleaf of the Leuven Chansonnier gives an immediate clue as to its original owner: the House of Savoy, and more specifically Philip II, seems to be the most plausible candidate. He may have acquired the songbook in 1470 in Moulins, after which he likely took it to his family chateau in Pont-d'Ain. But what happened to the manuscript afterwards? Ryan O'Sullivan conducted research into the possible journey of the songbook from the late Middle Ages to the twentieth century.
  
  
• Episode 37: Thomas Schmidt - Is the size of the songbook exceptional?
  At first sight, the Leuven Chansonnier immediately catches the eye with its modest size—small enough to rest comfortable in the palm of your hand. Was such a compact format unusual in the context of late fifteenth-century book production? And what might it reveal about the intended use of the songbook? Thomas Schmidt explores how the manuscript’s small scale offers insights into its function and the challenges it posed during its production.
  
  
• Episode 38: Jane Alden - What would a songbook's commissioner ask for?
  When a new publication rolls off the press today, it is usually the result of a meticulous planning process that carefully takes into account the explicit wishes of the client. Similarly, in the fifteenth century, scribes did not produce commissioned songbooks without first weighing various options and considering the desires of their patrons. But what expectations did a future owner have of the scribes at the time? What content-related and esthetic requirements lay at the heart of these precious manuscripts? Jane Alden explores the thought processes that shaped the creation of these chansonniers, tracing their development from initial ideas to refined works of art that continue to captivate us to this day.
  
  
• Episode 39: Sean Gallagher - Is there such a thing as an 'original version' of a song?
  38 of the 50 compositions from the Leuven Chansonnier can also be found in a number of other manuscripts that are now dispersed internationally. These late medieval polyphonic gems often followed multiple paths of transmission, as a result of which concordant sources sometimes show variations of the same work. However, is there such a thing as an original version on which the other copies are based? Sean Gallagher reflects on the possible meaning of such an Urtext and explains what its transmission can tell us about the performance practice at the time.
  
  
• Episode 40: Anna Danilevskaia - How do you approach the repetitive structure of the "rondeau"?
  The rondeau is one of the so-called "formes fixes": poetic-musical forms that dominated secular French song culture in the fifteenth century. The basic form of the rondeau consists of a two-part refrain that is presented twice in full and once shortened. The stanzas have a different text, but depending on their position, use one or two parts of the refrain melody. The rondeau therefore has a distinctly repetitive character: does this pose a challenge for the performer? Anna Danilevskaia examines the structural characteristics of this centuries-old song form, discussing the elements that inform and influence her interpretative approach.
  
  
• Episode 41: Scott Metcalfe - What insights does the chansonnier offer in comparison to other sources?
  The Leuven Chansonnier is the most recent addition to a network of songbooks from the fifteenth century that have been handed down to us. By comparing the music and poetry from the manuscript with their readings in concordant sources, some existing hypotheses about the song repertoire can be confirmed, while others can offer novel insights. Using a few examples, Scott Metcalfe illustrates how this remarkable manuscript opens up new avenues of research while also seeming to provide answers to long-standing problems.
  
  
• Episode 42: Sean Gallagher - Would the songbook have been used for performance?
  When browsing through the pages of the Leuven Chansonnier, one notices that the layout remains largely consistent: the superius is carefully written on the left folio, flanked by the two lower voices on the right-hand side. This design is common among polyphonic music manuscripts of the fifteenth century and allowed singers to perform together from the same book. But does the small format of the Leuven Chansonnier lend itself to a performance straight from the source? Sean Gallagher reflects on the function of the songbook in relation to the historical performance practice.
  
  
• Episode 43: Jane Alden - Would the placement of the songs in the Leuven Chansonnier have been important?
  Like several other songbooks from the late fifteenth century, the Leuven Chansonnier opens with a sacred work dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The placement of a Latin motet at the beginning of a manuscript that otherwise contains exclusively secular French chansons appears to have been a deliberate choice. But what about the 49 compositions that follow? Did the scribes apply certain criteria or follow an underlying system to organize the songs? Or is it a seemingly arbitrary sequence of chansons? Jane Alden explains whether there are any indications of a thought-out organization of the polyphonic works in the songbook.
  
  
• Episode 44: David Fallows - Why are there empty staves at the end?
  The Leuven Chansonnier is meticulously lined from beginning to end, with exactly 50 compositions filling the staves with musical notation and text. However, the staves on the final folios of the manuscript were left blank—remarkable, yet not unusual. Given their very precise and careful notation on every page, it almost seems as if the scribe added them with a clear intention in mind. David Fallows sheds light on the possible rationale behind the apparent gaps.
  
  
• Episode 45: Sean Gallagher - Would we consider these songs as fixed concepts in the modern sense?
  The question of how to define a “musical work” has sparked much debate over the past decades. A broad definition might describe it as something documented in a score by a composer, distinguishable from other works by certain stylistic traits or musical structures, and recognizable at every performance. However, does this modern interpretation align with the chansons in the Leuven Chansonnier? Sean Gallagher explains whether the songs in this late-medieval manuscript can be regarded as fixed compositions and discusses how contemporary music-theoretical thought provides insight into the views of the time. 
  
  
• Episode 46: Thomas Schmidt - Do we need a reader's guide to interpret the songs?
  The musical notation and text placement in a 500-year-old source like the Leuven Chansonnier look strikingly different from the familiar modern score. To what extent can musicians today engage directly with the songbook? Does this musical heritage require specialized knowledge and specific performance guidelines, or does the manuscript itself contain written indications that can help shape the interpretation? Thomas Schmidt explores how the characteristics of medieval music manuscripts affect their accessibility.
  
  
• Episode 47: Jane Alden - How long did these chansons remain popular?
  When a song tops the charts today, it often holds that position for only a few days or weeks in our fast-paced society. Yet, decades-old classics remain deeply embedded in our collective memory. How might this dynamic of ephemerality and continuity have manifested itself in the late fifteenth century? Did the chansons remain popular for a long time after their creation? Jane Alden explains if the works from the Leuven Chansonnier were considered timeless, and what this reveals about the esteem in which the Franco-Flemish composers were held.
  
  
• Episode 48: Ryan O'Sullivan - What secrets does the songbook still hold?
  Ten years of research have yielded a wealth of new perspectives on the possible origins of the songbook, the attributions to certain composers, the production process, and the performance practice of fifteenth-century courtly song. But which mysteries remain unsolved? Ryan O'Sullivan explores the areas of research that remain unexplored and the questions that this treasure could answer in the future.
  
  
• Episode 49: Anna Danilevskaia - Do the composer attributions affect the way you perform the chansons?
  The historically informed performance of a fifteenth-century chanson requires a thorough knowledge of, among other things, the contrapuntal interplay of the lines, the text placement, the note values, and the meter. Musicians must translate these elements from an original notation, which sometimes suggests as much as it conceals. What was not always written down in the manuscript, but can sometimes be revealed on the basis of musicological research, is the name of the master behind the work. To what extent does the attribution to a particular composer color the musical interpretation of a chanson? Anna Danilevskaia explains whether, and in what way, such knowledge plays a role in performance practice.
  
  
• Episode 50: Adam Knight Gilbert - Can we learn to recognize the composer's particularities?
  ‘Sampling’, or citing passages of music from other compositions, has become commonplace in today’s popular music industry. In addition, contemporary producers often follow certain trends, with generic material echoing through the songs of various artists. Similar processes of borrowing and generality can also be found in fifteenth-century compositional practice. Because composers frequently used citations and common patterns, it is not always straightforward to determine the distinctiveness of their style. Adam Knight Gilbert explains how we can sometimes still discern the particularity of a composer, even when they employ conventional structures.