Collectio Musicalis Maximilianea

The 'collection of old Italian musical works' acquired by the Hofkapellmeister (court music director) Johann Kaspar Aiblinger by order of King Maximilian II of Bavaria is a large collection of copies, comprising predominantly liturgical vocal music primarily of the Roman school. In the year 1833 Aiblinger was to perform some research during a 'cultural journey to Italy (...) on the music archives and collections of famous masterpieces' and, if possible, 'enrich the collection of musical treasures of the Munich Royal Court Library (...) by acquiring originals or copies'. The Collectio musicalis Maximilianea was founded on the one hand to complement the repertory of the Munich court music ensemble, and on the other hand as study material for musicologists and for the 'education of young composers'.