Ludovicus Episcopius
Encyclopedia
Ludovicus Episcopius or Ludovicus de Bisschop (1520 – 29 April 1595 in Straubing
; in English: Louis the Bishop) was a Dutch composer of the late Renaissance.
in Mechelen
by choirmaster Theo Verelst, who was also the teacher of Philippus de Monte
and Cypriano de Rore. Episcopius studied from 1538 till 1541 at the University of Leuven and became a priest. From 1545 till 1565 and from 1577 till 1585, he was choirmaster at the Basilica of Saint Servatius
in Maastricht
. He was replaced by Jean de Chaynée; when his successor got assassinated, Episcopius recovered his former position. About 1582, he exchanged the Low Countries
for Munich
where in 1584 he became a singer in the choir that was led by Orlando di Lasso. He retired in 1591 and became a canon
in Straubing. Only few of his works have survived; Missa super 'si mon service a merite' , four motet
s, a Salve regina
and 12 Dutch
songs of which some have been partially preserved. The Dutch songs are:
These songs were mainly preserved in two anthologies: (Jacob Baethen's Dat ierste boeck vanden nieuwe Duijtsche liedekens, published in 1554 in Maastricht, and Peeter Phalesius
' (Leuven) and Jan Bellerus' (Antwerp) Duijtsch musijck boeck published in 1572. Some songs have been preserved in manuscript
. Of the 8 songs from Baethen's edition, of which no complete copy has survived, some were reedited by Phalesius and Bellerus in their anthology (of which a complete copy survived) with, among others, 7 songs by Episcopius, including a number that are to be found nowhere else.
Straubing
Straubing is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is seat of the district of Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Bavaria, is held....
; in English: Louis the Bishop) was a Dutch composer of the late Renaissance.
Life and work
Episcopius was educated at the St. Rumbolds CathedralSt. Rumbolds Cathedral
St. Rumbold's Cathedral is the Belgian metropolitan archiepiscopal cathedral in Mechelen, dedicated to an assumedly Irish or Scottish Christian missionary and martyr who had founded an abbey nearby....
in Mechelen
Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
by choirmaster Theo Verelst, who was also the teacher of Philippus de Monte
Philippe de Monte
Philippe de Monte , sometimes known as Philippus de Monte, was a Flemish composer of the late Renaissance. He was a member of the 3rd generation madrigalists and wrote more madrigals than any other composer of the time...
and Cypriano de Rore. Episcopius studied from 1538 till 1541 at the University of Leuven and became a priest. From 1545 till 1565 and from 1577 till 1585, he was choirmaster at the Basilica of Saint Servatius
Saint Servatius
Saint Servatius was bishop of Tongeren—Roman Atuatuca Tungrorum the capital of the Tungri—one of the earliest dioceses in the Low Countries. Later in his life he fled to Maastricht, Roman Mosae Trajectum, where he became the first bishop of this city...
in Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
. He was replaced by Jean de Chaynée; when his successor got assassinated, Episcopius recovered his former position. About 1582, he exchanged the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
for Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
where in 1584 he became a singer in the choir that was led by Orlando di Lasso. He retired in 1591 and became a canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
in Straubing. Only few of his works have survived; Missa super 'si mon service a merite' , four 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, a 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 12 Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
songs of which some have been partially preserved. The Dutch songs are:
- Een bier een bierenbroyken (a pap of beer)
- Ghequetst ben ic van binnen (I feel hurt inside)
- Ick seg adieu, wij twee wij moeten scheiden (I say farewell, both of us, we must part)
- Ick zou studeren in eenen hoeck (I would have studied in a corner)
- Ic zou studeren in eenen hoeck (I would have studied in a corner, published by Phalesius, a revised version of the previous composition)
- Laet varen alle fantasie (abandon all imagination)
- Princersselijck greijn, die ic ghern aenschouwe (princely grain I like to observe)
- Princersselijck greijn, die ic gern aenschouwe (princely grain I like to observe, published by Phalesius, a revised version of the previous composition)
- Susanna heur baeiende in een fontein (after Susanne un jour from composer Didier Lupi SecondDidier Lupi SecondDidier Lupi Second was a French doctor based in Lyons. In 1548 he published Chansons Spirituelles with the poet Guéroult, the first such important publication of its kind by a Protestant. It includes Susanne un jour, a medical composition which was arranged by many later doctors...
) - Vruecht en deucht mijn hert verhuecht (my heart enjoys in pleasure and virtue)
These songs were mainly preserved in two anthologies: (Jacob Baethen's Dat ierste boeck vanden nieuwe Duijtsche liedekens, published in 1554 in Maastricht, and Peeter Phalesius
Pierre Phalèse the Elder
Pierre Phalèse the Elder was an important Flemish music editor and engraver of the sixteenth century....
' (Leuven) and Jan Bellerus' (Antwerp) Duijtsch musijck boeck published in 1572. Some songs have been preserved in manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
. Of the 8 songs from Baethen's edition, of which no complete copy has survived, some were reedited by Phalesius and Bellerus in their anthology (of which a complete copy survived) with, among others, 7 songs by Episcopius, including a number that are to be found nowhere else.
Discography
Some of Episcopius' songs have been recorded a few times. An incomplete discography is to be found on medieval.orgSources
- The New Grove dictionary of music and musicians, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 2001 - Episcopius on the web site of the music centre
- Fünf weltliche flämische Lieder: zu 3.,5.,6 und 8 Stimmen/Ludovicus Episcopius; hrsg. von Max Pr.
- Text of Louis Peter Grijp in the booklet of the cd The Maastricht Songbook 1554, Camerata TrajectinaCamerata TrajectinaCamerata Trajectina is a Dutch early music ensemble.The ensemble was founded in Utrecht in 1974 by Jos van Veldhoven and Jan Nuchelmans...
, directed by Louis Peter Grijp, Globe 6046., 1999 - Booklet of the cd, Je ne vais plus à la guerre, Musique de l'ancienne Principauté de Liège (ca. 1500 - 1650), by Barocco Locco, directed by Fritz Heller, CYP 5682 (Musique en Wallonie)
- Jan Willem Bonda, De Nederlandse polyfone liederen van de vijftiende en de zestiende eeuw. Hilversum, 1996, ISBN 90-6550-545-8