Nicolas Millot
Encyclopedia
Nicolas Millot was a French
composer of the late Renaissance
, mainly of chanson
s. He was also a singer in the French royal chapel, which he served in various capacities for about thirty years. After Claude Goudimel
, Guillaume Costeley
, and Nicolas de la Grotte
, he was one of the leading composers of chansons in France in the 1560s.
at the end of 1559, where a Noel Millot, probably the same person, was one of the clerks. By the next year he begins to appear in the archives of the French royal chapel as a singer, and he remained there until at least 1590.
Among his duties was the recruitment of singers from other regions of France. In 1572, Charles IX
sent him to Tours
to find choirboys. There are several other references to his activity in the royal chapel in the 1570s and 1580s, including a mention that he was one of the maîtres de chapelle of Henry III
in 1575, and that he had been sous-maître de la chapelle de musique du Roy for 20 years by 1585. He seems to have ended his career as master of the choirboys (maître des enfans) for Catherine de' Medici
.
In 1590 he signed his own will in a hand evidently frail with age; there are no further records of his life or musical activity, although the date and circumstances of his death have not been recorded.
s. While not as prolific a composer, or as highly regarded, as Guillaume Costeley
, Jean Maillard
, Nicolas de la Grotte
, or especially the renowned Claude Le Jeune
his work was widely distributed and highly regarded. He published 30 chansons in Paris, as well as one collection of works loosely classifiable as sacred: the Les proverbes de Salomon mis en musique, a collection of 20 settings from the Book of Proverbs
.
Millot's style was conservative, especially compared to the contemporary composers of musique mesurée
such as Claude Le Jeune. The chansons by Millot resembled those of the previous generation, for example works by Clément Janequin
and Sandrin
, with their alternating polyphonic
and homophonic
textures. More progressive composers writing chansons in the 1560s and 1570s generally put the melodic line in the topmost voice, strove for a homophonic texture, and in the case of the musique mesurée, used metrical irregularity to align the strong beats and long notes in the music with the natural accents of the French language. Millot usually avoided these features in his own music.
Poetry set by Millot included works by Pierre de Ronsard
, as well as popular verse.
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 of the late 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...
, mainly of 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 also a singer in the French royal chapel, which he served in various capacities for about thirty years. After Claude Goudimel
Claude Goudimel
Claude Goudimel was a French composer, music editor and publisher, and music theorist of the Renaissance.-Biography:...
, Guillaume Costeley
Guillaume Costeley
Guillaume Costeley was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was the court organist to Charles IX of France and famous for his numerous chansons, which were representative of the late development of the form; his work in this regard was part of the early development of the style known as...
, and Nicolas de la Grotte
Nicolas de la Grotte
Nicolas de La Grotte was a French composer and keyboard player of the Renaissance. He was well known as a performer on the organ and on the spinet, as well as a composer of chansons; in addition he was one of very few French composers of the 16th century with a surviving composition written...
, he was one of the leading composers of chansons in France in the 1560s.
Life
No information has yet been found regarding his early life. The earliest surviving records involves his employment with the Ste Chapelle in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at the end of 1559, where a Noel Millot, probably the same person, was one of the clerks. By the next year he begins to appear in the archives of the French royal chapel as a singer, and he remained there until at least 1590.
Among his duties was the recruitment of singers from other regions of France. In 1572, Charles IX
Charles IX of France
Charles IX was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death. His reign was dominated by the Wars of Religion. He is best known as king at the time of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.-Childhood:...
sent him to 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...
to find choirboys. There are several other references to his activity in the royal chapel in the 1570s and 1580s, including a mention that he was one of the maîtres de chapelle of Henry III
Henry III of France
Henry III was King of France from 1574 to 1589. As Henry of Valois, he was the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the dual titles of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.-Childhood:Henry was born at the Royal Château de Fontainebleau,...
in 1575, and that he had been sous-maître de la chapelle de musique du Roy for 20 years by 1585. He seems to have ended his career as master of the choirboys (maître des enfans) for Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici was an Italian noblewoman who was Queen consort of France from 1547 until 1559, as the wife of King Henry II of France....
.
In 1590 he signed his own will in a hand evidently frail with age; there are no further records of his life or musical activity, although the date and circumstances of his death have not been recorded.
Music
Millot was one of a large number of French composers active in the third quarter of the 16th century as significant creators of chansonChanson
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. While not as prolific a composer, or as highly regarded, as Guillaume Costeley
Guillaume Costeley
Guillaume Costeley was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was the court organist to Charles IX of France and famous for his numerous chansons, which were representative of the late development of the form; his work in this regard was part of the early development of the style known as...
, Jean Maillard
Jean Maillard
Jean Maillard was a French composer of the Renaissance.While little is known with certainty about his life, he may have been associated with the French royal court, since he wrote at least one motet for them. Most likely he lived and worked in Paris, based on evidence of his print editions, which...
, Nicolas de la Grotte
Nicolas de la Grotte
Nicolas de La Grotte was a French composer and keyboard player of the Renaissance. He was well known as a performer on the organ and on the spinet, as well as a composer of chansons; in addition he was one of very few French composers of the 16th century with a surviving composition written...
, or especially the renowned Claude Le Jeune
Claude Le Jeune
Claude Le Jeune was a Franco-Flemish composer of the late Renaissance. He was the primary representative of the musical movement known as musique mesurée, and a significant composer of the "Parisian" chanson, the predominant secular form in France in the latter half of the 16th century...
his work was widely distributed and highly regarded. He published 30 chansons in Paris, as well as one collection of works loosely classifiable as sacred: the Les proverbes de Salomon mis en musique, a collection of 20 settings from the Book of Proverbs
Book of Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs , commonly referred to simply as Proverbs, is a book of the Hebrew Bible.The original Hebrew title of the book of Proverbs is "Míshlê Shlomoh" . When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on different forms. In the Greek Septuagint the title became "paroimai paroimiae"...
.
Millot's style was conservative, especially compared to the contemporary composers of musique mesurée
Musique mesurée
Musique mesurée, or Musique mesurée à l'antique, was a style of vocal musical composition in France in the late 16th century. In musique mesurée, longer syllables in the French language were set to longer note values, and shorter syllables to shorter, in a homophonic texture but in a situation of...
such as Claude Le Jeune. The chansons by Millot resembled those of the previous generation, for example works by Clément Janequin
Clément Janequin
Clément Janequin was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was one of the most famous composers of popular chansons of the entire Renaissance, and along with Claudin de Sermisy, was hugely influential in the development of the Parisian chanson, especially the programmatic type...
and Sandrin
Sandrin
Sandrin was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was a prolific composer of chansons in the middle of the 16th century, some of which were extremely popular and widely distributed.-Life:...
, with their alternating polyphonic
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
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. More progressive composers writing chansons in the 1560s and 1570s generally put the melodic line in the topmost voice, strove for a homophonic texture, and in the case of the musique mesurée, used metrical irregularity to align the strong beats and long notes in the music with the natural accents of the French language. Millot usually avoided these features in his own music.
Poetry set by Millot included works by Pierre de Ronsard
Pierre de Ronsard
Pierre de Ronsard was a French poet and "prince of poets" .-Early life:...
, as well as popular verse.