Gilles Reingot
Encyclopedia
Gilles Reingot (fl. 1501–1530) was a Franco-Flemish
composer of the Renaissance
, associated with the Habsburg
court of Philip I of Castile
. He was a close associate of composer Pierre de La Rue
.
for Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
, then an infant, Reingot became part of the grande chapelle of Philip I. He first appears in the records of the Habsburg chapel singers in November 1501, in a master list of singers compiled prior to Philip's first trip to Spain. Reingot went on the trip, as part of the musical ensemble which was one of the most distinguished in Europe; they were in Spain for part of 1502, and singing again in France later that year.
Reingot went on Philip's second trip to Spain as well, the infamous trip which was to prove fatal to Philip, and fatal to the sanity of his wife, Joanna the Mad. In September 1506, when Philip died of a fever in Spain, many of the singers of the grande chapelle departed, mostly going back to France or the Netherlands, but Reingot was one of the ones who remained behind, along with Pierre de La Rue. For the next several years they took part in Juana's bizarre journey across Castile
, each night singing a requiem
to the disinterred corpse of Philip, which they brought along with them in its coffin, until Ferdinand II
, Juana's father, had her locked up in the fortress at Tordesillas
and had Philip more permanently buried.
By 1509, Reingot had returned north to the chapel of Charles, where he remained until around 1530. Nothing further is known of him after that year.
setting of the Marian antiphon Salve regina
, and a four-voice chanson
, Fors seulement
, based on the tune by Johannes Ockeghem
. Reingot's version, published in Petrucci
's Canti C, uses Ockeghem's superius
transposed down an octave in the tenor voice and has three florid, quick-moving contrapuntal
voices around it.
Franco-Flemish School
In music, the Franco-Flemish School or more precisely the Netherlandish School refers, somewhat imprecisely, to the style of polyphonic vocal music composition in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries, and to the composers who wrote it...
composer of the 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...
, associated with the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
court of Philip I of Castile
Philip I of Castile
Philip I , known as Philip the Handsome or the Fair, was the first Habsburg King of Castile...
. He was a close associate of composer Pierre de La Rue
Pierre de La Rue
Pierre de la Rue , called Piersson, was a Franco-Flemish composer and singer of the Renaissance. A member of the same generation as Josquin des Prez, and a long associate of the Habsburg-Burgundian musical chapel, he ranks with Agricola, Brumel, Compère, Isaac, Obrecht, and Weerbeke as one of the...
.
Life
After first serving as a sommelierSommelier
A sommelier , or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, commonly working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food matching...
for Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, then an infant, Reingot became part of the grande chapelle of Philip I. He first appears in the records of the Habsburg chapel singers in November 1501, in a master list of singers compiled prior to Philip's first trip to Spain. Reingot went on the trip, as part of the musical ensemble which was one of the most distinguished in Europe; they were in Spain for part of 1502, and singing again in France later that year.
Reingot went on Philip's second trip to Spain as well, the infamous trip which was to prove fatal to Philip, and fatal to the sanity of his wife, Joanna the Mad. In September 1506, when Philip died of a fever in Spain, many of the singers of the grande chapelle departed, mostly going back to France or the Netherlands, but Reingot was one of the ones who remained behind, along with Pierre de La Rue. For the next several years they took part in Juana's bizarre journey across Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
, each night singing a requiem
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
to the disinterred corpse of Philip, which they brought along with them in its coffin, until Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of...
, Juana's father, had her locked up in the fortress at Tordesillas
Tordesillas
Tordesillas is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain.It is located 25 km southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of 704 meters. The population was c. 9,000 in 2009....
and had Philip more permanently buried.
By 1509, Reingot had returned north to the chapel of Charles, where he remained until around 1530. Nothing further is known of him after that year.
Music
While Reingot's music may once have been more abundant, only two pieces survive attributed to him: a four-voice motetMotet
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...
setting of the Marian antiphon Salve regina
Salve Regina
The "Salve Regina", also known as the Hail Holy Queen, is a Marian hymn and one of four Marian antiphons sung at different seasons within the Christian liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. The Salve Regina is traditionally sung at Compline in the time from the Saturday before Trinity...
, and a four-voice 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...
, Fors seulement
Fors seulement
Fors seulement is a French chanson, popular as a basis for variations and as a cantus firmus. An early version is attributed to Ockeghem - this is sometimes called Fors seulement l'attente to distinguish it from his similarly titled Fors seulement contre.Brumel wrote a polytextual version,...
, based on the tune by 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...
. Reingot's version, published in Petrucci
Ottaviano Petrucci
Ottaviano Petrucci was an Italian printer. His Harmonice Musices Odhecaton, a collection of chansons printed in 1501, is commonly misidentified as the first book of sheet music printed from movable type. Actually that distinction belongs to the Roman printer Ulrich Han's Missale Romanum of 1476...
's Canti C, uses Ockeghem's superius
Superius
For medical uses of the term see Superius In early vocal music, Superius is the Latin-derived name given to the highest voice-part - see Arnold, ref 1.-References:Arnold D. New Oxford Companion to Music, Oxford,...
transposed down an octave in the tenor voice and has three florid, quick-moving contrapuntal
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
voices around it.