Bartolomeo da Bologna
Encyclopedia
Bartolomeo da Bologna was a north Italian
composer of the early Quattrocento
, the transitional period between the late medieval
style of the Trecento
and the early Renaissance
.
or nearby, and seems to have spent part of his life in Ferrara
. He was a Benedictine
, and may have been the prior of San Nicolò in Ferrara; in addition he was the organist there in 1407, and he is documented in that cathedral at the beginning of 1427. He also seems to have been connected with the chapel of John XXIII
in Bologna, since one of his ballade
s (Arte psalentes) is probably addressed to the singers in his choir. (He is frequently referred to in manuscripts with the Latin form of his name, "Bartolomeus de Bononia")
movements, and five secular songs, including a ballade
, two ballata
s, a rondeau
and a virelai
. Stylistically all are related to the ars subtilior
which flourished in Avignon
, Bologna
and other regions held by the antipope
s during the Western Schism
.
The two mass movements are among the first ever written which use parody
technique, i.e. multi-voice material from another source, in this case two of his own secular songs, is recycled and fitted into a different context. That both he and the first composer of parody movements, Antonio "Zachara" da Teramo
, probably overlapped in their service in the chapel of John XXIII in Bologna, is probably no coincidence. Yet, though Zachara was clearly influential on the younger composer, the techniques used by both composers in their parody movements are quite different--Zachara's are more free in their usage of the borrowed material while Bartolomeo quoted large, contiguous sections of his secular music around which he composed new melodies.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
composer of the early Quattrocento
Quattrocento
The cultural and artistic events of 15th century Italy are collectively referred to as the Quattrocento...
, the transitional period between the late medieval
Medieval music
Medieval music is Western music written during the Middle Ages. This era begins with the fall of the Roman Empire and ends sometime in the early fifteenth century...
style of the Trecento
Music of the trecento
The Trecento was a period of vigorous activity in Italy in the arts, including painting, architecture, literature, and music. The music of the Trecento paralleled the achievements in the other arts in many ways, for example, in pioneering new forms of expression, especially in secular song in the...
and 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...
.
Life
Little is known with certainty about his life, but he was probably from BolognaBologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
or nearby, and seems to have spent part of his life in Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
. He was a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
, and may have been the prior of San Nicolò in Ferrara; in addition he was the organist there in 1407, and he is documented in that cathedral at the beginning of 1427. He also seems to have been connected with the chapel of John XXIII
Antipope John XXIII
Baldassarre Cossa was Pope John XXIII during the Western Schism. The Catholic Church regards him as an antipope.-Biography:...
in Bologna, since one of his ballade
Ballade
The ballade is a form of French poetry. It was one of the three formes fixes and one of the verse forms in France most commonly set to music between the late 13th and the 15th centuries....
s (Arte psalentes) is probably addressed to the singers in his choir. (He is frequently referred to in manuscripts with the Latin form of his name, "Bartolomeus de Bononia")
Music
Bartolomeo is one of only a few native Italian composers of the early 15th century of whom works have survived with reliable attribution; many of the musicians in Italy during the 15th century were foreigners, and it was not until later in the century that there were as many Italians as there were émigrés from northern Europe composing music there. Seven pieces by Bartolomeo have survived, all for three voices: two massMass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
movements, and five secular songs, including a ballade
Ballade
The ballade is a form of French poetry. It was one of the three formes fixes and one of the verse forms in France most commonly set to music between the late 13th and the 15th centuries....
, two ballata
Ballata
The ballata is an Italian poetic and musical form, which was in use from the late 13th to the 15th century. It has the musical structure AbbaA, with the first and last stanzas having the same texts. It is thus most similar to the French musical 'forme fixe' virelai...
s, a 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...
and a virelai
Virelai
A virelai is a form of medieval French verse used often in poetry and music. It is one of the three formes fixes and was one of the most common verse forms set to music in Europe from the late thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries.A virelai is similar to a rondeau...
. Stylistically all are related to the ars subtilior
Ars subtilior
Ars subtilior is a musical style characterized by rhythmic and notational complexity, centered around Paris, Avignon in southern France, also in northern Spain at the end of the fourteenth century. The style also is found in the French Cypriot repertory...
which flourished in Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
, Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
and other regions held by the antipope
Antipope
An antipope is a person who opposes a legitimately elected or sitting Pope and makes a significantly accepted competing claim to be the Pope, the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church. At times between the 3rd and mid-15th century, antipopes were typically those supported by a...
s during the Western Schism
Western Schism
The Western Schism or Papal Schism was a split within the Catholic Church from 1378 to 1417. Two men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. Driven by politics rather than any theological disagreement, the schism was ended by the Council of Constance . The simultaneous claims to the papal chair...
.
The two mass movements are among the first ever written which use parody
Parody mass
A parody mass is a musical setting of the mass, typically from the 16th century, that uses multiple voices of another pre-existing piece of music, such as a fragment of a motet or a secular chanson, as part of its melodic material. It is distinguished from the two other most prominent types of...
technique, i.e. multi-voice material from another source, in this case two of his own secular songs, is recycled and fitted into a different context. That both he and the first composer of parody movements, Antonio "Zachara" da Teramo
Zacara da Teramo
Antonio Zacara da Teramo was an Italian composer, singer, and papal secretary of the late Trecento and early 15th century...
, probably overlapped in their service in the chapel of John XXIII in Bologna, is probably no coincidence. Yet, though Zachara was clearly influential on the younger composer, the techniques used by both composers in their parody movements are quite different--Zachara's are more free in their usage of the borrowed material while Bartolomeo quoted large, contiguous sections of his secular music around which he composed new melodies.
Works
All of Bartolomeo's works are edited in Gilbert Reaney, Early Fifteenth-Century Music volume 5 (1975).Sacred
- Gloria (mass movement, based on his own ballata Vince con lena)
- Credo (mass movement, based on his own ballata Morir desio)
Secular
- Vince con lena (ballata)
- Morir desio (ballata)
- Arte psalentes (ballade)
- Mersi chiamando (rondeau)
- Que pena maior (virelai)