Antoine Busnois
Encyclopedia
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
of the early Renaissance
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
Burgundian School
Burgundian School
The Burgundian School is a term used to denote a group of composers active in the 15th century in what is now northern and eastern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, centered on the court of the Dukes of Burgundy. The main names associated with this school are Guillaume Dufay, Gilles Binchois,...
. While also noted as a composer of sacred music, such as motet
Motet
In classical music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions.-Etymology:The name comes either from the Latin movere, or a Latinized version of Old French mot, "word" or "verbal utterance." The Medieval Latin for "motet" is motectum, and the Italian...
s, he was one of the most renowned 15th-century composers of secular chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
s. He was the leading figure of the late Burgundian school after the death of Guillaume Dufay
Guillaume Dufay
Guillaume Dufay was a Franco-Flemish composer of the early Renaissance. As the central figure in the Burgundian School, he was the most famous and influential composer in Europe in the mid-15th century.-Early life:From the evidence of his will, he was probably born in Beersel, in the vicinity of...
.
Biography
While details of his early life are largely conjectural, he was probably from the vicinity of BéthuneBéthune
Béthune is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department.-Geography:Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated South-East of Calais, West of Lille, and North of Paris.-Landmarks:...
in the Pas-de-Calais, possibly the hamlet of Busnes
Busnes
Busnes is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village some northwest of Béthune and west of Lille, at the junction of the D916, D94 and the D187 roads.-History:...
, to which his name seems to refer. He may have been related to the aristocratic family of Busnes; in particular, a Philippe de Busnes, canon of Notre-Dame in Lens
Lens, Pas-de-Calais
Lens is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is one of France's large Picarde cities along with Lille, Valenciennes, Amiens, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Arras, and Douai.-Metropolitan area:...
, could have been a relative. He clearly received an excellent musical education, probably at a church choir school somewhere in northern or central France. An aristocratic origin may explain his early association with the French royal court: as early as the 1450s references to him appear there, and in 1461 he was a chaplain at Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
. That he was not entirely a man of peace is indicated by a petition for absolution he filed in Tours, dated February 28, 1461, in which he admitted to being part of a group that beat up a priest, "to the point of bloodshed", not one but five times. While in a state of anathema
Anathema
Anathema originally meant something lifted up as an offering to the gods; it later evolved to mean:...
he was foolhardy enough to celebrate mass, an act which got him excommunicated
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
; however Pope Pius II
Pope Pius II
Pope Pius II, born Enea Silvio Piccolomini was Pope from August 19, 1458 until his death in 1464. Pius II was born at Corsignano in the Sienese territory of a noble but decayed family...
pardoned him.
He moved from the cathedral to the collegiate church of St. Martin, also in Tours, where he became a subdeacon in 1465. Johannes Ockeghem
Johannes Ockeghem
Johannes Ockeghem was the most famous composer of the Franco-Flemish School in the last half of the 15th century, and is often considered the most...
was treasurer at that institution, and the two composers seem to have known each other well. Later in 1465 Busnois moved to Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
, where he not only became "maîtrise" (master of the choirboys), but managed to attract a flood of talented singers from the entire region; by this time his reputation as singing teacher, scholar, and composer seems to have spread widely. However he departed just as suddenly as he came, in 1466; no reason was given, but the former maîtrise was given his old job back. Busnois then moved to Burgundy.
By 1467 Busnois was at the court of Burgundy, and he had begun composing for them immediately before the accession of Charles to the title of Duke on June 15, since one of his motets — in hydraulis — contains a dedication indicating that he was still Count. Charles, on becoming Duke of Burgundy, quickly became known as Charles the Bold, for his fierce and sometimes reckless military ambitions (which indeed led to his death in battle ten years later). In addition to his love of war, however, Charles loved music, and in his employ Busnois was appreciated and rewarded. Also in 1467 Busnois was listed along with Hayne van Ghizeghem
Hayne van Ghizeghem
Hayne van Ghizeghem was a Franco-Flemish composer of the early Renaissance Burgundian School.While many of his works have survived, little is known about his life...
and Adrien Basin
Adrien Basin
Adrien Basin was a Franco-Flemish composer, singer, and diplomat of the Burgundian school of the early Renaissance...
as a "chantre et valet de chambre
Valet de chambre
Valet de chambre , or varlet de chambre, was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal Households had many persons appointed at any time...
" to Charles.
In addition to his duties as a singer and a composer, Busnois accompanied the Duke on his military campaigns, as did Hayne van Ghizeghem
Hayne van Ghizeghem
Hayne van Ghizeghem was a Franco-Flemish composer of the early Renaissance Burgundian School.While many of his works have survived, little is known about his life...
. Busnois was at the siege of Neuss
Neuss
Neuss is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district and owes its prosperity to its location at the crossing of historic and modern trade routes. It is primarily known...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1475, and survived (or did not attend) the disastrous Battle of Nancy
Battle of Nancy
The Battle of Nancy was the final and decisive battle of the Burgundian Wars, fought outside the walls of Nancy on 5 January 1477 between Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and René II, Duke of Lorraine...
in 1477 at which Charles was killed and the expansion of Burgundy was forever stilled.
Busnois remained in the employ of the Burgundian court until 1482, but nothing exact is known about his exploits between then and 1492, when he died. At the time of his death, he was working for the church of St. Sauveur in Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
. Throughout this time he was exceptionally well-known as a composer, and his music circulated widely.
Works and Style
The contemporary reputation of Busnois was immense; he was the probably the best-known musician in Europe between the time of Guillaume DufayGuillaume Dufay
Guillaume Dufay was a Franco-Flemish composer of the early Renaissance. As the central figure in the Burgundian School, he was the most famous and influential composer in Europe in the mid-15th century.-Early life:From the evidence of his will, he was probably born in Beersel, in the vicinity of...
and Johannes Ockeghem
Johannes Ockeghem
Johannes Ockeghem was the most famous composer of the Franco-Flemish School in the last half of the 15th century, and is often considered the most...
.
Busnois wrote sacred and secular music. Of his sacred music, two cantus firmus
Cantus firmus
In music, a cantus firmus is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition.The plural of this Latin term is , though the corrupt form canti firmi is also attested...
masses
Mass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
and eight motet
Motet
In classical music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions.-Etymology:The name comes either from the Latin movere, or a Latinized version of Old French mot, "word" or "verbal utterance." The Medieval Latin for "motet" is motectum, and the Italian...
s survive (most likely many others are lost). He wrote several settings of the Marian antiphon Regina coeli. Stylistically, his music can be heard as a mid-point between the simplicity and homophonic
Homophony
In music, homophony is a texture in which two or more parts move together in harmony, the relationship between them creating chords. This is distinct from polyphony, in which parts move with rhythmic independence, and monophony, in which all parts move in parallel rhythm and pitch. A homophonic...
textures of Dufay and Binchois
Gilles Binchois
Gilles de Binche , also known as Gilles de Bins , was a Franco-Flemish composer, one of the earliest members of the Burgundian School, and one of the three most famous composers of the early 15th century...
, and the pervading imitation
Imitation (music)
In music, imitation is when a melody in a polyphonic texture is repeated shortly after its first appearance in a different voice, usually at a different pitch. The melody may vary through transposition, inversion, or otherwise, but retain its original character...
of Josquin
Josquin Des Prez
Josquin des Prez [Josquin Lebloitte dit Desprez] , often referred to simply as Josquin, was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance...
and Gombert
Nicolas Gombert
Nicolas Gombert was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance. He was one of the most famous and influential composers between Josquin des Prez and Palestrina, and best represents the fully developed, complex polyphonic style of this period in music history.-Life:Details of his early life are...
. He uses imitation skillfully but occasionally, writes smooth and singable melodic lines, and has a strong feeling for triad
Triad (music)
In music and music theory, a triad is a three-note chord that can be stacked in thirds. Its members, when actually stacked in thirds, from lowest pitched tone to highest, are called:* the Root...
ic sonorities, anticipating 16th-century practice.
According to Pietro Aron
Pietro Aron
Pietro Aron, also known as Pietro Aaron , was an Italian music theorist and composer. He was born in Florence and probably died in Bergamo .-Biography:...
, Busnois may have been the composer of the famous tune L'homme armé
L'homme armé
L'homme armé was a French secular song from the time of the Renaissance. It was the most popular tune used for musical settings of the Ordinary of the Mass: over 40 separate compositions entitled Missa L'homme armé survive from the period....
, one of the most widely distributed melodies of the Renaissance, and the one more often used than any other as a cantus firmus for mass
Mass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
composition. Whether or not he wrote the first mass based on L'homme armé, his was by far the most influential; Obrecht
Jacob Obrecht
Jacob Obrecht was a Flemish composer of the Renaissance. He was the most famous composer of masses in Europe in the late 15th century, being eclipsed by only Josquin des Prez after his death.-Life:...
's mass, for example, closely parallels the setting by Busnois and even the mass by Dufay
Guillaume Dufay
Guillaume Dufay was a Franco-Flemish composer of the early Renaissance. As the central figure in the Burgundian School, he was the most famous and influential composer in Europe in the mid-15th century.-Early life:From the evidence of his will, he was probably born in Beersel, in the vicinity of...
quotes from it directly. Busnois may even be the composer of a cycle of six masses all based on the same tune, found in Naples, based on stylistic comparison.
Busnois also wrote chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
s, French secular songs, and these are the work on which his reputation mainly rests. Most are rondeau
Rondeau (music)
The rondeau was a Medieval and early Renaissance musical form, based on the contemporary popular poetic rondeau form. It is distinct from the 18th century rondo, though the terms are likely related...
x, but they include some bergerette
Bergerette
A bergerette, or shepherdess' air, is a form of early rustic French song.The bergerette, developed by Burgundian composers is a virelai with only is single stanza. It is one of the "fixed forms" of early French song and related to the rondeau. Examples include Josquin's Bergerette savoyene included...
s as well; many of these compositions became popular songs, and some were perhaps based on popular songs, now lost. He probably wrote his own texts for almost every one. Some of his tunes were used as source material for cantus firmus mass composition more than a generation after he died, for instance Fortuna desperata
Fortuna desperata
Fortuna desperata is a secular Italian song, possibly originally by Busnois, . It was used by many other authors in the following 75 years, for both variations and cantus firmus masses, and over 30 such reworkings are known....
(which was used both by Obrecht
Jacob Obrecht
Jacob Obrecht was a Flemish composer of the Renaissance. He was the most famous composer of masses in Europe in the late 15th century, being eclipsed by only Josquin des Prez after his death.-Life:...
and Josquin). An unusual chanson is Terrible dame, which not only is an antiphonal
Antiphonary
An Antiphonary, Antiphonal, "Antiphony" or Antiphoner is one of the present Catholic liturgical books. It is intended for use in choro An Antiphonary, Antiphonal, "Antiphony" or Antiphoner (Latin antiphonarium, antiphonarius, antiphonarius liber, antiphonale; Greek ’antíphonon, antiphon,...
dialogue, unique in the chanson literature, but has an Old French title which requires no specialized skill to translate.
While most of Busnois's secular songs are based on French texts, there are also at least two on Italian texts and one on a Flemish text. Most are for three voices, although there are a few for four.
Masses conjecturally attributed to Busnois
- Missa L'Ardent desir;
- Missa L'homme armé (I);
- Missa L'homme armé (II);
- Missa L'homme armé (III);
- Missa L'homme armé (IV);
- Missa L'homme armé (V);
- Missa L'homme armé (VI) (these six masses from Naples, attributed based on stylistic similarity);
- Missa sine nomine;
- Missa Quant ce viendra.
Motets and magnificats
- Ad coenam agni providi;
- Alleluia, verbum caro factum est;
- Anima mea liquefacta est / Stirps Jesse;
- Anthoni usque limina;
- Asperges me (lost);
- Conditor alme siderum;
- Gaude coelestis domina;
- In hydraulis;
- Lamentation on the death of Guillaume Dufay (probably written in 1474, lost);
- Magnificat sexti toni;
- Noel, noel;
- Regina caeli (I);
- Regina caeli (II);
- Victimae paschali laudes.
Magnificats and motets, conjecturally attributed to Busnois
- Magnificat octavi toni;
- Magnificat secundi toni;
- Incomprehensibilia / Preter rerum ordinem.
Secular music
- Acordes moy;
- Advegne que advenir pourra;
- Amours nous traicte / Je m'en vois;
- A qui vens tu tes coquilles;
- Au gré de mes iculx;
- A une dame;
- Au povre par necessité;
- A vous, sans autre;
- Bel acueil;
- Bone chére;
- Ce n’est pas moy;
- C'est bien maleur;
- C'est vous en qui;
- Con tutta gentileça;
- Corps digne / Dieu quel mariage;
- Cy dit benedicite;
- En soustenant;
- En tous les lieux;
- En voyant sa dame;
- Esaint-il merci;
- Faictes de moy;
- Faulx mesdisans;
- Fortuna desperataFortuna desperataFortuna desperata is a secular Italian song, possibly originally by Busnois, . It was used by many other authors in the following 75 years, for both variations and cantus firmus masses, and over 30 such reworkings are known....
; - (O) Fortune, trop tu es dure;
- Ha que ville;
- In myne zynn;
- Ja que lui ne;
- J'ay mayns de bien;
- J'ay pris amours tout au rebours;
- Je m'esbaïs de vous;
- Je ne demande aultre degré;
- Je ne demande lialté;
- Je ne puis vivre ainsi;
- Joye me fuit;
- Laissez dangier;
- L'autrier la pieça /En l'ombre du buissonet / Trop suis jonette;
- L'autrier que passa;
- Le corps s'en va;
- Le monde a tel;
- Ma damoiselle;
- Maintes femmes;
- Ma plus qu'assez;
- Ma tres souveraine princesse;
- M'a vostre cueur;
- Mon mignault / Gracieuse, playsant;
- Mon seul et sangle souvenir;
- On a grant mal / On est bien malade;
- Pour entretenir mes amours;
- Pucellotte;
- Quant j'ay au cueur;
- Quant vous me ferez;
- Quelque povre homme;
- Quelque povre homme;
- Resjois toy terre de France / Rex pacificus;
- Seule a par moy;
- Soudainementmon cueur;
- Terrible dame;
- Une filleresse / S'il y a compagnion / Vostre amour;
- Ung grand povtre homme;
- Ung plus que tous;
- Vostre beauté / Vous marchez;
- Vostre gracieuse acointance.
Works with conflicting attribution
- Amours, amours, amours;
- Amours fait moult / Il est de binne heure né /Tant que nostre argent dura;
- Cent mile escus;
- Et qui la dira;
- J'ay bien choisi;
- Il sera pour vous canbatu / L'homme armé;
- Je ne fay plus;
- Je suis venu;
- Le serviteur;
- Quant ce vendra (attributed to Busnoys in Dijon MS 517);
- Sans avoir (‚S' amours vous fiu' or 'Malagrota');
- Se brief puis.