ABSTRACT
Even though his life work centered on the reform of the music used in the Roman Catholic liturgy of his time rather than the study and writing of music history as such, 237 in the history of musicology Karl Proske (1794-1861) is one of the pantheon of nineteenth-century scholars whose labors during the formative years of the discipline have earned them honor. 238 Proske's contribution to this then-developing field is twofold. First, he spent several years visiting the libraries and archives of Europe - Germany and Italy in particular - making copies of a significant quantity of the music he found in them. Notwithstanding that he is now best known for his work with the music of the late Renaissance - among the composers of this period who figure prominently in his manuscripts are Palestrina, Anerio, Lasso, and Victoria - he did not limit himself to the music of this period. 239 Secondly, not only did he copy the works of these early masters, but he also was among the first to publish modern editions of some of the music of this period he had discovered during his travels. The four volumes of his Musica Divina, Annus Primus (1853, 1855, 1859, 1863 respectively) are prime examples of both his activity and his industry in this sphere. 240
