Album insights
Maximilian II of Habsburg was born in 1527 and reigned as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1564 to 1576, succeeding his father Ferdinand I, who ascended to the imperial throne after the abdication of his elder brother, Charles V. Charles relinquished his crown in 1556 after a lifelong endeavor to govern the vast territories inherited in 1516, which included the Netherlands, Spain, and the Habsburg territories in Central Europe. Establishing the younger son's line as imperial overlords, Ferdinand I ensured the hegemony of the Austrian Habsburgs, almost continuously dominant until the 19th century, despite the nominal election of the Emperor.
Ferdinand set up a chapel for his children as early as 1529, and by 1551, Maximilian's chapel had its own musical ensemble led by Jacobus Vaet, recognized as its Kapellmeister by at least 1554. Vaet possibly composed a motet in the previous year for Maximilian's sister's wedding to King Sigismund II of Poland, indicating his service to the Habsburgs as early as 1553. Although Maximilian was still Archduke of Austria and not yet ruler in his own right, Vaet's appointment as Kapellmeister was a notable achievement, showcasing his talents at around 24 years old. Pieter Maessens is believed to have paved Vaet's path to the Habsburg service. Maessens, then the Magister cantus at Notre Dame in Courtrai, transitioned from having Vaet as a choirboy in the 1540s to the employment of new personnel for both Ferdinand's chapel and Maximilian's chapel. This was a challenging task due to the considerable size of the imperial chapel, with the number of singers increasing to about 70 during Maximilian's reign.
Vaet, who died on January 8, 1567, at the age of around 37, would have stood among the most renowned composers of the 16th century. His health seems to have deteriorated rapidly as evidenced by his ability to accompany Maximilian to the battlefield in 1566 before his last child's baptism at Christmas that same year. During his short career of about 15 years, Vaet produced an impressive body of work, including nine Mass settings (including a Requiem), 66 motets, various smaller liturgical pieces, several Magnificats, and three French chansons. In the dedication for his collection of motets published in 1562, Vaet expressed his decision to focus on works praising almighty God and the Habsburg dynasty due to limited composing time caused by his other duties. His surviving compositions feature seventeen "State Motets" honoring the Habsburgs alongside standard texts of his time, such as excerpts from the Psalms, prayers, and other biblical and liturgical texts.