I am embarking on a new research theme and intend to provide regular updates on this blog.
The research seeks to synthesise the quantitative rigour of Supply Chain management with the qualitative nuances of Early Modern History. Not a straightforward task but a challenge nevertheless.
Having examined the mechanics of modern global trade and the socio-political landscape of the “Narrow Sea” between Antwerp and London, I intend to investigate how the physical distribution of music —as a high-complexity commodity — shaped the cultural ‘sound’ of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Traditional musicology focuses on the composer. Instead, I will focus on the distributor and their customers. The severe disruption of trade in the late sixteenth century as a result of the Spanish War meant that printed music movements were severely impacted. In its place London adopted an innovative network of copyists to produce music ‘on demand.
To better evaluate these changes I intend to use a variety of analytical methodologies including:
Geospatial Mapping: Using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to map the routes from major printing hubs (Antwerp, Paris, Venice) to London.
Economic Analysis: Examining “Transaction Costs”—tariffs, transport risks (piracy/war), and the role of the Frankfurt Book Fair as a central hub.
By synthesising the business records of the Officina Plantiniana (Antwerp) with the Port Books and Stationers’ Company Records (London), my research aims to provide the first quantitative assessment of the risks, transaction costs, and inventory strategies that shaped the early modern music trade. This interdisciplinary approach offers a new methodology for “Book History” by applying modern logistics theory to 16th and 17th-century cultural exports.
