Nicolaus Zacharie
Encyclopedia
Nicolaus Zacharie was an Italian
composer of the early Renaissance
. Until recently he had been confused with the earlier composer Zacara da Teramo
, but recent research has established his identity; he was one of a few native Italian composers working in the early 15th century whose work has survived.
or somewhere nearby, on the evidence of papal archives. The earliest solid record of his life is February 7, 1420, when he was employed at Florence
Cathedral as a singer; on the evidence of his motet Letetur plebs, which includes the comment in the score "composed in Taranto
, in a great hurry" it is presumed he was already active as a composer prior to coming to Florence in 1420. Just a few months later — June 1 — Pope Martin V
hired him during a trip to Florence, taking him back to the papal choir in Rome
, probably in September when he returned there, having successfully ended the Western Schism
a few years before. Zacharie remained in the choir until 1424, and after an absence of ten years joined again for a few months in 1434; his whereabouts between those two periods is unknown.
At the end of his life he was a chaplain at the church of Santa Maria in Ceglie Messapico, about 40 km west of Brindisi in the far southeast of Italy.
s and a secular song, a ballata
. The longest is the motet Letetur plebs. It begins with a long passage in imitation
, but the rest of the composition uses none at all. As is true of much music from southern and central Italy of the quattrocento
, there is very little French influence; the influence of the ars subtilior
is not to be found in Zacharie's surviving music.
On stylistic evidence, all three of his surviving compositions were probably written around the same time, most likely between 1415 and around 1430.
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 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...
. Until recently he had been confused with the earlier composer Zacara 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...
, but recent research has established his identity; he was one of a few native Italian composers working in the early 15th century whose work has survived.
Life
He was probably from BrindisiBrindisi
Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...
or somewhere nearby, on the evidence of papal archives. The earliest solid record of his life is February 7, 1420, when he was employed at Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
Cathedral as a singer; on the evidence of his motet Letetur plebs, which includes the comment in the score "composed in Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
, in a great hurry" it is presumed he was already active as a composer prior to coming to Florence in 1420. Just a few months later — June 1 — Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V , born Odo Colonna, was Pope from 1417 to 1431. His election effectively ended the Western Schism .-Biography:...
hired him during a trip to Florence, taking him back to the papal choir in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, probably in September when he returned there, having successfully ended 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...
a few years before. Zacharie remained in the choir until 1424, and after an absence of ten years joined again for a few months in 1434; his whereabouts between those two periods is unknown.
At the end of his life he was a chaplain at the church of Santa Maria in Ceglie Messapico, about 40 km west of Brindisi in the far southeast of Italy.
Music
Only three works by Zacharie have survived with reliable attribution: two 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...
s and a secular song, a 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...
. The longest is the motet Letetur plebs. It begins with a long passage in 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...
, but the rest of the composition uses none at all. As is true of much music from southern and central Italy of the quattrocento
Quattrocento
The cultural and artistic events of 15th century Italy are collectively referred to as the Quattrocento...
, there is very little French influence; the influence of 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...
is not to be found in Zacharie's surviving music.
On stylistic evidence, all three of his surviving compositions were probably written around the same time, most likely between 1415 and around 1430.
Works
- Et in terra pax (3 voices)
- Letetur plebs fidelis/Pastor qui revelavit (4 voices)
- Già per gran nobeltà trihumpho et fama (2 voices) (ballata)