Muziek (Musica) 1510 - 1550

Sebald Beham created this engraving, Musica, in the 1500s, demonstrating the cultural significance of music during the Renaissance. The winged female figure, presumably an angel, playing the organ while surrounded by other musical instruments and books, evokes the divine nature of music and its association with learning and harmony. Beham was working in a German-speaking world that was divided by the rise of the Protestant Reformation. As such, the place of music was hotly contested. Reformers like Martin Luther saw sacred music as a route to deeper faith. But others were concerned about the place of music in secular life, where it was associated with courtly display. The image creates meaning through these references to classical iconography, Christian symbolism, and humanist values. Art historians draw on diverse sources, including theological treatises, musical scores, and social histories, to enrich our understanding of artworks like this. Through such research, we recognize that the meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.