If you've never been to Leuven, you owe it to yourself. It's a beautiful small city. Most everyone speaks English and the beer is out of this world. I'll be at this one for sure. I have some research that will fit.

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“…cantus ecclesiasticum ut ornaret…”: Polyphony for the Proper of the Mass in
the Middle Ages and Renaissance

16-18 January, 2009, Faculteit Letteren, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
(Belgium)

Organised by the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Research Unit of Musicology and
the Alamire Foundation

Conference Theme

In 1509, the great Renaissance composer Heinrich Isaac delivered an
extraordinary series of commissioned mass-proper cycles to the cathedral chapter
at Constance. In celebration of the 500th anniversary of this event, this
conference aims to contextualise Isaac’s contribution to the mass-proper genre
by examining polyphony for the proper of the mass in the Middle Ages and
Renaissance.

Papers, of around 25 minutes, are invited on all topics relating to medieval and
Renaissance polyphonic mass-proper repertories. These may include:

- the earliest mass-proper repertories and their relationships with the beginnings
of written polyphony in the West
- source-studies (mass-propers in manuscripts and prints)
- mass-propers and the liturgy
- relationships between mass-propers and other sorts of liturgical music
- analytical aspects (e.g. the treatment of pre-existent chant cantus firmi)
- mass-propers and unwritten polyphony
- precedents, context, and analysis of Heinrich Isaac’s mass-propers

Proposals for panel-sessions are also welcome. The preferred conference language
is English, although other languages will also be considered. Abstracts, no
longer than 300 words, may be submitted via email to David Burn
(david.burn[at]arts.kuleuven.be) or Stefan Gasch (stefan.gasch[at]univie.ac.at)
by 15 October 2008. Notification of acceptance will be given no later than 30
November 2008.

The keynote paper will be delivered by Prof. Reinhard Strohm (University of
Oxford, UK).

A published proceedings is planned.

Further information: see www.arts.kuleuven.be/alamire/, under “conferences”.