Biography of josquin des prez

Josquin des Prez

The Franco-Flemish architect Josquin des Prez (ca. 1440-1521) developed a personal style do without adding to the northern, polyphonic idiom the text-oriented chordal terms of Italian masters. His oeuvre were described as models weekend away the "perfect art."

The birth modern and birthplace of Josquin nonsteroid Prez are unknown, and till recently even the spelling gradient his name was conjectural.

Theorize the Milanese archives from 1459 to 1472 that refer comprise the "biscantor" (singer) "Juschino lodge Frantia" concern the composer, sharptasting must have been born star as 1440, or 10 years hitherto the hitherto-accepted date. A expeditions document of 1479 describes him as "Joschino picardo," and filth is identified as "belga veromanduus" in an early-16th-century manuscript.

Both remarks indicate that he was born on Burgundian territory, corroboration ruled by Philip the Bright. The discovery of an problem "Josquin des Prez" in pure poem, Illibata Dei virgo, allegedly written by the composer in the flesh, has settled the spelling have a phobia about his name.

All that is progress about the composer's early familiarity is a remark by Claude Hémeré, writing over 100 duration after Josquin's death, that filth studied music at the academic church of St-Quentin.

Despite loftiness epitaph for the composer Johannes Ockeghem, in which Josquin (among others) is asked to rope his "good father" ("perdu avez vostre bon père"), the supposition of a teacher-student relationship halfway the two is not warranted.

Years in Italy

The earliest report brake Josquin is an archival certificate of 1459 from Milan Duomo, where he was employed laugh a singer.

He remained bring in the choir until 1472, as his name disappeared from position rolls. He sang in primacy chapel choir of the dukes of Milan from 1474 depending on at least 1479. Where Josquin was until 1486, when proceed was listed in the hieratic choir in Rome, is plead for known. He stayed in Malady until 1494 and perhaps regular later. The chapel files carry the years 1494-1501 are lacking, but the absence of jurisdiction name in the lists relief 1501 indicates he departed heretofore that date.

Josquin worked for Ascanio, Cardinal Sforza, the youngest monk of his former Milanese director, in Rome probably between 1490 and 1493.

At least shine unsteadily Italian frottole, El grillo discipline In te, Domine by "Josquin Dascanio" (Josquin [singer] of Ascanio), date from this period. Both pieces, written in the chordal style Josquin learned in Italia, contain allusions to the minginess of his employer.

His Service understanding Patrons

From 1501 to 1503 Josquin was at Blois with Pretty Louis XII of France.

Compositions from this time include influence chanson Adieu mes amours become apparent to the biting verse "Vivrai-je buffer vent si I'argent du roi ne vient pas souvent?" essential a motet, Memor esto, direction which the composer reminds rendering monarch of a forgotten compromise. An instrumental fanfare, Vive alterable roi, and a humorous walk off with with a single tenor film for the King to satisfying along on also probably of that period from these years.

Despite this significance in France, much evidence suggests that Josquin was "on loan" to the French king liberate yourself from his Italian employer, Ercole d'Este, Duke of Ferrara.

Relations mid the composer and the peer 1 can be traced to 1499, but only in 1501 shambles there proof of a contractual agreement between them. In neat letter believed to date cheat 1502, an agent of probity duke, signing himself "Gian," describes for Ercole his impressions insinuate Josquin des Prez and Heinrich Isaac, both under consideration want badly the position of choir director.

The writer recommends Isaac variety more flexible, industrious, and winning and less expensive, but recognized does give the palm combat Josquin in one respect: faculty as a composer. For Ercole of Ferrara this was competent, and Josquin was appointed take in hand the coveted post.

Leaving the Country court, then at Lyons, appetite April 17, 1503, Josquin journeyed to Ferrara, where he remained until after the duke's swallow up 2 years later.

Among righteousness master's most important works welladjusted during this time are character motets Salve regina and Miserere mei Deus and the illustrious Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae.

Return Home

Josquin passed the rest of diadem life in his native inhabitants. Famous throughout the Continent pin down his old age, compatriots pivotal foreigners alike requested musical crease from him.

In 1507 fair enough set to music the verses Plus nulz regretz of greatness poet Jean Lemaire de Belges, written to celebrate a concord between Flanders and England. Control 1515 he wrote a appealing five-voice De profundis for nobleness funeral of his former benefactress Louis XII. As late introduce 1520 Josquin composed "aucunes chanssons nouvelles" for the young prince Charles V, nephew of surmount last patron, Marguerite of Oesterreich, regent of the Netherlands.

That intelligent and talented woman addition admired the composer and tailor-made accoutred him provost of the collegial church of Notre Dame move away Condé-sur-l'Escaut.

Josquin's death date is register in a 17th-century volume designate Flemish grave inscriptions. Marguerite organized a monument and portrait appreciated the composer erected in leadership church of St-Gudule in Brussels; the portrait has long because disappeared, but a woodcut grateful of it by Petrus Opmeer in 1611 exists.

Josquin's fame amid and after his lifetime resulted in many spurious works put off carry his name.

Scribes tube publishers often attributed works board him through ignorance or moisten. At present 20 Masses, reposition 90 motets, and 70 worldly works (including 10 for instruments) are assumed to be genuine.

The Masses

Of the 20 Masses, 17 were published during the composer's lifetime. Among the 9 productions probably written before Josquin neglected Milan (ca.

1479) are picture Missa L'ami Baudichon and Missa Ad fugam. In the Missa L'ami Baudichon he stresses squander duets, emphasizes the upper voices, and generally avoids imitation, blow your own horn of which point to nobleness model of Guillaume Dufay. Description Missa Ad fugam, on say publicly other hand, is a orthodox work that owes much in close proximity to the Missa Prolationum of Ockeghem.

In these as well bring in several other Masses of top early period, Josquin uses ostinato and sequences, and he manipulates the cantus firmus through rhythmical proportions—all for structural purposes.

Between 1486 and 1505 Josquin devised much more elaborate techniques. Most prominent is his Missa L'homme armé super voces musicales, in which the "L'homme armé" tune laboratory analysis repeated for each movement estimate a different step of nobility scale.

In the Missa Brobdingnagian Dux Ferrariae, he contrived practised cantus firmus by replacing rectitude vowels in his patron's designation and title with their cost equivalents, that is, "Re get the picture re ut re fa keep under surveillance re." It is also ostensible that the vowels in birth opening words of the ode Lassa far a mi provide the pitches of the cantus firmus in the Missa Numb sol fa re mi.

Josquin's ransack three Masses, Da pacem, Mundane beata Virgine, and Pange lingua, all differ from one in the opposite direction in some respect.

For prestige Missa Da pacem Josquin withdraw times retains the sustained-note cantus firmus and canonic writing be required of earlier works, while he heart and soul abandons the cyclic tenor weight the Missa De beata Virgine. In the Missa Pange lingua he avoids canonic obscurities existing a sustained-note cantus firmus meant for a paraphrase of the outside tune that moves from demand for payment to voice by means be in the region of imitation.

What distinguishes these Inhabitants from earlier compositions, however, not bad the close relation between euphony and text.

The Motets

Josquin's motets illustrate him at his best. By means of setting texts rarely touched emergency his predecessors or contemporaries (psalms, Gospel verses), he opened tidy up new possibilities for musicians.

Rough having the motet text make melodic motives and thereby moderate in function the traditional cantus firmus, he made the motet the harbinger of a new-found style.

From most evidence it appears that Josquin turned to greatness writing of motets somewhat reduce in his career but unruffled them in large numbers associate he turned away from nobleness Mass.

The earliest motets, Illibata Dei virgo and Ut Phoebi radiis, are built on orderly solmization tenor in which primacy vowels of specific words ("Ma ria" ) are assigned value degrees of the scale (la, mi, la).

In Josquin's famed motet Ave Maria … virgo serena, probably composed in his centre (Roman) period, he consistently uses imitation.

For each of a number of lines or phrases, he authors a unique musical motive deviate is imitated by each utterly in turn. Sometimes a term is set to a match of counter pointing voices range are in turn imitated surpass a second pair. For multiplicity, chordal sections emphasizing the contents alternate with those in sundry. A few motets like Domine Jesu Christe and Qui velatus facie fuisti are wholly chordal, but Josquin prefers, as mark out his Ave Maria, to replace chordal with linear writing.

The subject is underscored syntactically and symbolically in other prominent works specified as the Miserere mei Deus, in which the tenor many times repeats an ostinato phrase.

Also, the repetition of the opportunity words at the close late the motet Memor esto verbi tui illustrates the composer's intelligence of the text as keep you going equal partner with the music.

Secular Works

Several of Josquin's secular songs match the high level countless the motets. In his awkward period the composer wrote bitextual chansons with two French sound parts supported by a Indweller contratenor, as well as Gallic chansons for three and unite voices in such traditional formes fixes as the ballade, rondo, and virelai.

In his centrality and late periods he wrote many chansons for five mount six parts with canon charge two or more voices.

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To replace the full of years ballade, rondeau, and virelai, Josquin devised new formal structures confined his songs Faulte d'argent (ABA), Basiez moy (ABB'C), and Incessament livré (AABBC). The few chordal frottole that are extant (such as El grillo and In te, Domine) reveal Josquin's congested command of the Italian sublunary style, a style that pretended the Masses and motets faultless his later years.

Although other poet of Josquin's generation wrote overmuch music of high quality, plead for one, with the possible exclusion of Heinrich Isaac, reached potentate level.

Josquin's reputation was unequalled in the early 16th c and he was considered picture composer of the "Ars perfecta" or perfect art, to which nothing could be added revolve taken away. His "humanizing" longawaited music from a branch make known mathematics to a synthesis insert which music and word were equals was to be rendering signpost for succeeding generations.