The Schöffer family name has long been a source of intrigue for researchers of the early modern era. The family provides a linear connection between the legendary Johannes Gutenberg – the so-called ‘father’ of the printing press in Europe – and the Protestant Reformation, with a dose of Anabaptist mystique thrown in for good measure. Peter Schöffer the Younger seems to have been proud of his family's trade and heritage, and, for scholars of Strasbourg in particular, his period of employment in the city also provides a satisfying link back to Gutenberg, who had lived there a century earlier. Schöffer, a very skilled die-cutter and typefounder, supplied his own type to other printers at various stages throughout his career, and evidently took great satisfaction in his own printing work. His interest in music manifested itself early in his life, and he continued to print music using a multiple- impression technique – where the staves and notes are printed separately – even after single-impression printing had become the industry standard.

Although relatively abundant, biographical references to Peter Schöffer the Younger have tended to be brief, often forming parts of wider historical studies of printing or printers. Some contain confused, misleading, or false statements about his life and works. Furthermore, little of the literature is available in English. This chapter is therefore an attempt to provide an accurate bibliographical overview of Schöffer, while providing context for the events that led him to publish his Cantiones in Strasbourg in 1539, before he abandoned music publishing – and eventually all publishing – entirely.

Peter was the third of four sons born into the Schöffer household, and the grandson of the printer Johannes Fust. Peter's father, Peter Schöffer the Elder, was born around 1430 in Gernsheim, near Darmstadt. He began his career as a scribe in Paris, before moving to Mainz sometime around the middle of the fifteenth century, where he began working for Fust. At that time, Fust was the business partner of Johannes Gutenberg, whose operation was revolutionising the process of book production. However, shortly after their earliest publications came off the press, the business fell apart, and Gutenberg lost to Fust in the ensuing court proceedings.