Pierre de La Rue
Encyclopedia
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 most famous and influential composers in the Netherlands polyphonic
style in the decades around 1500.
, in modern Belgium
, and likely educated at the Notre-Dame Cathedral
there, which had a substantial musical establishment. He may have been the son of Jean de la Rue, a master enlumineur of the town of Tournai.
While no records remain of his childhood, a Peter vander Straten (the Flemish equivalent of his name) is mentioned in the archives of the cathedral of Ste. Gudule in Brussels
in 1469-1470, as an adult (tenor) singer; this is considered very likely to have been him. In 1471 he was in Ghent
at the Jacobskerk as a part-time singer, paid from the cathedral's miscellaneous fund, suggesting he was brought in for special performances of polyphony. Subsequently he was employed in Nieuwpoort
in 1472, at the church of Onze-Lieve-Vrouw, probably initially as a temporary arrangement, but by the end of the year the church authorities hired him on a more permanent basis. He was no longer employed there by 1477/8 for his name had vanished from the account-book.
His whereabouts during the 1480s are not very well known, although there is a record that he worked at a place called "St Ode" (date and city not known), and also possibly at the cathedral at Cambrai
. Previous biographies of La Rue place him in Siena
, Italy
between 1483 and 1485; however it has been determined that the "La Rue" in the records there was a different singer. Pierre de la Rue probably never went to Italy, making him one of the few prominent Franco-Flemish composers of this generation never to travel there.
In 1489 he was paid by the Confraternity of the Illustre Lieve Vrouwe in 's-Hertogenbosch, again as "Peter vander Straten", and the document indicates that he had come from Cologne
, so he evidently had spent some time in Germany as a tenor singer. He remained at the Confraternity in 's-Hertogenbosch until 1492, at which time he simultaneously became a full member of the Confraternity, and joined the Grande chapelle of Holy Roman Emperor Maxmilian
. He was to remain in the employ of the Habsburgs, and the Grande chapelle, for the rest of his life.
inherited it in 1494. This was the central institution of the Burgundian School
, the venue in which composers such as Dufay and Busnois had worked and already left a body of music; music by Ockeghem had also recently been copied into manuscripts associated with the group immediately before La Rue's hire. In addition, music by the composers favored the previous dukes of Burgundy such as Charles the Bold – Adrien Basin, Gilles Joye, Hayne van Ghizeghem, and Robert Morton – was also probably still being performed and studied. It was a formidable musical organization, equalling in quality the papal chapel in Rome itself, and its quality continued to improve into the 16th century, with the addition of composers such as Marbrianus de Orto
, Nicolas Champion
, Gilles Reingot
, Antonius Divitis
, and Alexander Agricola
. This was the musical environment into which La Rue entered his full maturity as a composer.
Once La Rue was engaged with the Grande chapelle, he made two trips to Spain
. On the second trip, in 1506, he was shipwrecked in the English Channel, and spent three months at the court of Henry VII of England
. After two more years in Spain, in the service of Juana of Castile
– Joanna the Mad – he returned to the Netherlands in 1508, probably because Juana had been forced out of power (her husband, Philip
, had died of typhus in 1506). Juana was inconsolable, unable to leave the corpse of her dead husband, and had become quite insane; why La Rue stayed as long as he did is not known, but it is not impossible that his dark, intensely expressive music was one of the few things that brought her solace. In addition, he was treated well. Juana promoted him to premier chapelain, the head of the chapel, and paid him twice what the other singers received; paying the singers was apparently the one of the only practical administrative matters she was able to do during the period of her madness.
On his travels with the Grande chapelle he met many of the other Franco-Flemish composers who were working at the same time (for instance, Josquin
, Isaac
and Robert de Févin
) and these meetings may also have proved decisive on the development of his style.
and Brussels
, rarely traveling. These are hypothesized to be the most productive years for La Rue as a composer, since he would have had the most free time, and spared the rigors of travel across Europe. Shortly after Charles V came of age in 1515, the court resumed its travels; La Rue retired shortly after a huge tour of all the cities in the northern portions of Charles' kingdom. Likely he left his job during one of the chapel's visits to Kortrijk, in May or June 1516. He remained there until his death a little more than two years later. While his epitaph alludes to the possibility that he may have worked at the courts in France
and Hungary
at some time, no other corroborating evidence has been found; however there remain biographical gaps in the 1470s and 1480s: for example, the location of "St Ode" is not yet known.
La Rue was relatively wealthy when he died, especially for a singer who was not an aristocrat, and details of his will and the subsequent events surrounding its disposition survive in detail. Not only did his executors find chests of money in his lodgings, but he had considerable income from his prebends, which distributed to many places, including relatives, charities, choirs, institutions; and he arranged for requiem masses to be sung every day for the month after his death, and a further 300 masses to be sung afterwards, in several different cathedrals. He asked to be buried on the left side of the altar in the church in Kortrijk, although the exact location can no longer be found, and the epitaph only survives in several partially contradictory copies. His epitaph indicates he was a thrifty, virtuous person, not "given to the crimes of Venus" (as, for example, composer Nicolas Gombert
, who was sent to the galleys for molesting a choirboy, Ghiselin Danckerts
, who was fired from the Sistine Chapel choir for being excessively "given to women", or Gilles Joye
, who wrote a mass based on the name of his favorite prostitute). La Rue seems to have been appreciated and well liked by his colleagues throughout his career.
, motet
s, Magnificat
s, settings of the Lamentations
, and chanson
s, a diverse range of compositions reflective of his status as the primary composer at one of Europe's most renowned musical institutions, surrounded by other similarly creative people. Some scholars have suggested that he only composed music for only about the last 20 years of his life, mainly when he was in the imperial service; but it has proven difficult to date any of his works precisely, although it has been possible to suggest groupings based on a rough chronology. Stylistically, his works are more similar to Josquin than to any other composer working at the same time. In fact, misattribution of doubtful works has gone both ways.
Yet there are some unique features to La Rue's style. He had a liking for extreme low voice ranges, descending sometimes to C or even the subterranean B flat below the bass staff; he employed more chromaticism than most of his contemporaries; and much of his work is rich in dissonance. He also broke up long, dense textures by inserting contrasting passages for two voices only, something done also by Ockeghem
and Josquin. He was one of the first routinely to expand vocal forces from the standard four, to five or six. One of his masses for six voices, the Missa Ave sanctissima Maria, is a six-voice canon
, a technically difficult feat reminiscent of some of the work of Ockeghem. This is also the earliest six-voice mass known to exist.
Canonic writing is a particularly important feature of La Rue's style, and he has been particular celebrated for this. He liked to write canons of considerable complexity, rather than restricting himself to simple imitation. The second of his two masses based on the L'homme armé
tune begins and ends with mensuration canons
, canons in which all the voices sing the same material, but at different speeds; this is yet another feat of contrapuntal
virtuosity worthy of Josquin or Ockeghem; indeed La Rue sometimes seemed to be in conscious competition with the more renowned Josquin. The closing Agnus Dei of this mass is the only known mensuration canon of the entire era for four voices, with all four voices singing the same tune. La Rue wrote six pieces that are completely canonic from start to finish, including two masses, three motets, and a chanson; and he wrote three more masses, two motets, and three chansons which are based on canon but contain some free sections; and there are numerous other works which include canonic sections. In his use of canons, he may have been influenced by Matthaeus Pipelare, who wrote an early canonic mass La Rue almost certainly knew, since it was part of the repertory of the Habsburg court chapel.
technique thoroughly, permeating the texture of a mass with music drawn from all voices of a pre-existing source. Some of his masses use cantus firmus
technique, but rarely strictly; he often preferred the paraphrase
technique, in which the monophonic source material is embellished and migrates between voices.
La Rue wrote one of the earliest polyphonic Requiem
masses to survive, and it is one of his most famous works. Unlike later Requiems, it includes polyphonic settings only of the Introit, Kyrie, Tract, Offertory, Sanctus, Agnus, and Communion (the Dies Irae, often the center of gravity in more recent Requiems, was a later addition). This was the normal liturgical practice in the region of northern Europe in which he worked. This mass, more than many others, emphasises the low registers of voices, and even the lowest voices themselves.
or Gilles Binchois
), and others using the more current imitative polyphonic
style. Since he never spent time in Italy, he never picked up the Italian frottola
style which featured light, homophonic
textures (which Josquin used so effectively in his popular El Grillo and Scaramella), and which so charmed the other members of his generation.
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...
. A member of the same generation as Josquin des Prez
Josquin Des Prez
Josquin des Prez [Josquin Lebloitte dit Desprez] , often referred to simply as Josquin, was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance...
, and a long associate of the Habsburg-Burgundian
Burgundian School
The Burgundian School is a term used to denote a group of composers active in the 15th century in what is now northern and eastern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, centered on the court of the Dukes of Burgundy. The main names associated with this school are Guillaume Dufay, Gilles Binchois,...
musical chapel, he ranks with Agricola
Alexander Agricola
Alexander Agricola was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance. A prominent member of the Grande chapelle, the Habsburg musical establishment, he was a renowned composer in the years around 1500, and his music was widely distributed throughout Europe...
, Brumel
Antoine Brumel
Antoine Brumel was a French composer. He was one of the first renowned French members of the Franco-Flemish school of the Renaissance, and, after Josquin des Prez, was one of the most influential composers of his generation....
, Compère
Loyset Compère
Loyset Compère was a French composer of the Renaissance. Of the same generation as Josquin des Prez, he was one of the most significant composers of motets and chansons of that era, and one of the first musicians to bring the light Italianate Renaissance style to France.-Life:His exact place of...
, Isaac
Heinrich Isaac
Heinrich Isaac was a Franco-Flemish Renaissance composer of south Netherlandish origin. He wrote masses, motets, songs , and instrumental music. A significant contemporary of Josquin des Prez, Isaac influenced the development of music in Germany...
, Obrecht
Jacob Obrecht
Jacob Obrecht was a Flemish composer of the Renaissance. He was the most famous composer of masses in Europe in the late 15th century, being eclipsed by only Josquin des Prez after his death.-Life:...
, and Weerbeke
Gaspar van Weerbeke
Gaspar van Weerbeke was a Netherlandish composer of the Renaissance. He was of the same generation as Josquin des Prez, but unique in his blending of the contemporary Italian style with the older Burgundian style of Dufay.- Life :...
as one of the most famous and influential composers in the Netherlands 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 ....
style in the decades around 1500.
Early life
La Rue was probably born at TournaiTournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
, in modern Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and likely educated at the Notre-Dame Cathedral
Tournai Cathedral
The Cathedral of Our Lady is Roman Catholic church, see of the Diocese of Tournai in Tournai, Belgium. It has been classified both as a Wallonia's major heritage since 1936 and as a World Heritage Site since 2000.-History:...
there, which had a substantial musical establishment. He may have been the son of Jean de la Rue, a master enlumineur of the town of Tournai.
While no records remain of his childhood, a Peter vander Straten (the Flemish equivalent of his name) is mentioned in the archives of the cathedral of Ste. Gudule in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
in 1469-1470, as an adult (tenor) singer; this is considered very likely to have been him. In 1471 he was in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
at the Jacobskerk as a part-time singer, paid from the cathedral's miscellaneous fund, suggesting he was brought in for special performances of polyphony. Subsequently he was employed in Nieuwpoort
Nieuwpoort, Belgium
Nieuwpoort is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Nieuwpoort proper and the towns of Ramskapelle and Sint-Joris. On January 1, 2008 Nieuwpoort had a total population of 11,062....
in 1472, at the church of Onze-Lieve-Vrouw, probably initially as a temporary arrangement, but by the end of the year the church authorities hired him on a more permanent basis. He was no longer employed there by 1477/8 for his name had vanished from the account-book.
His whereabouts during the 1480s are not very well known, although there is a record that he worked at a place called "St Ode" (date and city not known), and also possibly at the cathedral at Cambrai
Cambrai
Cambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
. Previous biographies of La Rue place him in Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
, Italy
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...
between 1483 and 1485; however it has been determined that the "La Rue" in the records there was a different singer. Pierre de la Rue probably never went to Italy, making him one of the few prominent Franco-Flemish composers of this generation never to travel there.
In 1489 he was paid by the Confraternity of the Illustre Lieve Vrouwe in 's-Hertogenbosch, again as "Peter vander Straten", and the document indicates that he had come from Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, so he evidently had spent some time in Germany as a tenor singer. He remained at the Confraternity in 's-Hertogenbosch until 1492, at which time he simultaneously became a full member of the Confraternity, and joined the Grande chapelle of Holy Roman Emperor Maxmilian
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
. He was to remain in the employ of the Habsburgs, and the Grande chapelle, for the rest of his life.
The Grande chapelle
The Grande chapelle, the musical establishment of the Burgundian-Habsburg court, already had a distinguished history by the time Philip the HandsomePhilip I of Castile
Philip I , known as Philip the Handsome or the Fair, was the first Habsburg King of Castile...
inherited it in 1494. This was the central institution of the Burgundian School
Burgundian School
The Burgundian School is a term used to denote a group of composers active in the 15th century in what is now northern and eastern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, centered on the court of the Dukes of Burgundy. The main names associated with this school are Guillaume Dufay, Gilles Binchois,...
, the venue in which composers such as Dufay and Busnois had worked and already left a body of music; music by Ockeghem had also recently been copied into manuscripts associated with the group immediately before La Rue's hire. In addition, music by the composers favored the previous dukes of Burgundy such as Charles the Bold – Adrien Basin, Gilles Joye, Hayne van Ghizeghem, and Robert Morton – was also probably still being performed and studied. It was a formidable musical organization, equalling in quality the papal chapel in Rome itself, and its quality continued to improve into the 16th century, with the addition of composers such as Marbrianus de Orto
Marbrianus de Orto
Marbrianus de Orto was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance. He was a contemporary, close associate, and possible friend of Josquin des Prez, and was one of the first composers to write a completely canonic setting of the Ordinary of the Mass.-Life:The illegitimate child of a priest,...
, Nicolas Champion
Nicolas Champion
Nicolas Champion was a Franco-Flemish composer and singer of the Renaissance. He was a member of the renowned musical establishments of the Habsburg court, including the chapels of Philip I of Castile and Charles V...
, Gilles Reingot
Gilles Reingot
Gilles Reingot 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.-Life:...
, Antonius Divitis
Antonius Divitis
Antonius Divitis was a Flemish composer of the Renaissance, of the generation slightly younger than Josquin des Prez. He was important in the development of the parody mass.-Life:He was born in Leuven. He first appears in the historic record in 1501 in Bruges, at the church of St...
, and Alexander Agricola
Alexander Agricola
Alexander Agricola was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance. A prominent member of the Grande chapelle, the Habsburg musical establishment, he was a renowned composer in the years around 1500, and his music was widely distributed throughout Europe...
. This was the musical environment into which La Rue entered his full maturity as a composer.
Once La Rue was engaged with the Grande chapelle, he made two trips to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. On the second trip, in 1506, he was shipwrecked in the English Channel, and spent three months at the court of Henry VII of England
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
. After two more years in Spain, in the service of Juana of Castile
Joanna of Castile
Joanna , nicknamed Joanna the Mad , was the first queen regnant to reign over both the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon , a union which evolved into modern Spain...
– Joanna the Mad – he returned to the Netherlands in 1508, probably because Juana had been forced out of power (her husband, Philip
Philip I of Castile
Philip I , known as Philip the Handsome or the Fair, was the first Habsburg King of Castile...
, had died of typhus in 1506). Juana was inconsolable, unable to leave the corpse of her dead husband, and had become quite insane; why La Rue stayed as long as he did is not known, but it is not impossible that his dark, intensely expressive music was one of the few things that brought her solace. In addition, he was treated well. Juana promoted him to premier chapelain, the head of the chapel, and paid him twice what the other singers received; paying the singers was apparently the one of the only practical administrative matters she was able to do during the period of her madness.
On his travels with the Grande chapelle he met many of the other Franco-Flemish composers who were working at the same time (for instance, Josquin
Josquin Des Prez
Josquin des Prez [Josquin Lebloitte dit Desprez] , often referred to simply as Josquin, was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance...
, Isaac
Heinrich Isaac
Heinrich Isaac was a Franco-Flemish Renaissance composer of south Netherlandish origin. He wrote masses, motets, songs , and instrumental music. A significant contemporary of Josquin des Prez, Isaac influenced the development of music in Germany...
and Robert de Févin
Robert de Févin
Robert de Févin was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was the brother of Antoine de Févin, a considerably more famous composer at the court of Louis XII of France...
) and these meetings may also have proved decisive on the development of his style.
Retirement and death
Between 1508 and 1514, the court stayed at MechelenMechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, rarely traveling. These are hypothesized to be the most productive years for La Rue as a composer, since he would have had the most free time, and spared the rigors of travel across Europe. Shortly after Charles V came of age in 1515, the court resumed its travels; La Rue retired shortly after a huge tour of all the cities in the northern portions of Charles' kingdom. Likely he left his job during one of the chapel's visits to Kortrijk, in May or June 1516. He remained there until his death a little more than two years later. While his epitaph alludes to the possibility that he may have worked at the courts in France
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...
and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
at some time, no other corroborating evidence has been found; however there remain biographical gaps in the 1470s and 1480s: for example, the location of "St Ode" is not yet known.
La Rue was relatively wealthy when he died, especially for a singer who was not an aristocrat, and details of his will and the subsequent events surrounding its disposition survive in detail. Not only did his executors find chests of money in his lodgings, but he had considerable income from his prebends, which distributed to many places, including relatives, charities, choirs, institutions; and he arranged for requiem masses to be sung every day for the month after his death, and a further 300 masses to be sung afterwards, in several different cathedrals. He asked to be buried on the left side of the altar in the church in Kortrijk, although the exact location can no longer be found, and the epitaph only survives in several partially contradictory copies. His epitaph indicates he was a thrifty, virtuous person, not "given to the crimes of Venus" (as, for example, composer Nicolas Gombert
Nicolas Gombert
Nicolas Gombert was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance. He was one of the most famous and influential composers between Josquin des Prez and Palestrina, and best represents the fully developed, complex polyphonic style of this period in music history.-Life:Details of his early life are...
, who was sent to the galleys for molesting a choirboy, Ghiselin Danckerts
Ghiselin Danckerts
Ghiselin Danckerts was a Dutch composer, singer, and music theorist of the Renaissance. He was principally active in Rome, in the service of the Sistine Chapel, and was one of the judges at the famous debate between Nicola Vicentino and Vicente Lusitano in 1551.-Life:He was born in Tholen, in...
, who was fired from the Sistine Chapel choir for being excessively "given to women", or Gilles Joye
Gilles Joye
Gilles Joye was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance. A member of the Burgundian school, he was known mainly for his secular songs which were in a lyrical and graceful style.- Life :...
, who wrote a mass based on the name of his favorite prostitute). La Rue seems to have been appreciated and well liked by his colleagues throughout his career.
Music and style, general characteristics
La Rue wrote massesMass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
, 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, Magnificat
Magnificat
The Magnificat — also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn...
s, settings of the Lamentations
Book of Lamentations
The Book of Lamentations ) is a poetic book of the Hebrew Bible composed by the Jewish prophet Jeremiah. It mourns the destruction of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple in the 6th Century BCE....
, and 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, a diverse range of compositions reflective of his status as the primary composer at one of Europe's most renowned musical institutions, surrounded by other similarly creative people. Some scholars have suggested that he only composed music for only about the last 20 years of his life, mainly when he was in the imperial service; but it has proven difficult to date any of his works precisely, although it has been possible to suggest groupings based on a rough chronology. Stylistically, his works are more similar to Josquin than to any other composer working at the same time. In fact, misattribution of doubtful works has gone both ways.
Yet there are some unique features to La Rue's style. He had a liking for extreme low voice ranges, descending sometimes to C or even the subterranean B flat below the bass staff; he employed more chromaticism than most of his contemporaries; and much of his work is rich in dissonance. He also broke up long, dense textures by inserting contrasting passages for two voices only, something done also by 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...
and Josquin. He was one of the first routinely to expand vocal forces from the standard four, to five or six. One of his masses for six voices, the Missa Ave sanctissima Maria, is a six-voice canon
Canon (music)
In music, a canon is a contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration . The initial melody is called the leader , while the imitative melody, which is played in a different voice, is called the follower...
, a technically difficult feat reminiscent of some of the work of Ockeghem. This is also the earliest six-voice mass known to exist.
Canonic writing is a particularly important feature of La Rue's style, and he has been particular celebrated for this. He liked to write canons of considerable complexity, rather than restricting himself to simple imitation. The second of his two masses based on the L'homme armé
L'homme armé
L'homme armé was a French secular song from the time of the Renaissance. It was the most popular tune used for musical settings of the Ordinary of the Mass: over 40 separate compositions entitled Missa L'homme armé survive from the period....
tune begins and ends with mensuration canons
Prolation canon
In music, a prolation canon or mensuration canon is a type of canon, a musical composition wherein the main melody is accompanied by one or more imitations of that melody in other voices. Not only do the voices sing or play the same melody, they do so at different speeds...
, canons in which all the voices sing the same material, but at different speeds; this is yet another feat of 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,...
virtuosity worthy of Josquin or Ockeghem; indeed La Rue sometimes seemed to be in conscious competition with the more renowned Josquin. The closing Agnus Dei of this mass is the only known mensuration canon of the entire era for four voices, with all four voices singing the same tune. La Rue wrote six pieces that are completely canonic from start to finish, including two masses, three motets, and a chanson; and he wrote three more masses, two motets, and three chansons which are based on canon but contain some free sections; and there are numerous other works which include canonic sections. In his use of canons, he may have been influenced by Matthaeus Pipelare, who wrote an early canonic mass La Rue almost certainly knew, since it was part of the repertory of the Habsburg court chapel.
Masses
La Rue also was one of the first to use the parodyParody 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 thoroughly, permeating the texture of a mass with music drawn from all voices of a pre-existing source. Some of his masses use cantus firmus
Cantus firmus
In music, a cantus firmus is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition.The plural of this Latin term is , though the corrupt form canti firmi is also attested...
technique, but rarely strictly; he often preferred the paraphrase
Paraphrase mass
A paraphrase mass is a musical setting of the Ordinary of the Mass, using as its basis an elaborated version of a cantus firmus, typically chosen from plainsong or some other sacred source...
technique, in which the monophonic source material is embellished and migrates between voices.
La Rue wrote one of the earliest polyphonic 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...
masses to survive, and it is one of his most famous works. Unlike later Requiems, it includes polyphonic settings only of the Introit, Kyrie, Tract, Offertory, Sanctus, Agnus, and Communion (the Dies Irae, often the center of gravity in more recent Requiems, was a later addition). This was the normal liturgical practice in the region of northern Europe in which he worked. This mass, more than many others, emphasises the low registers of voices, and even the lowest voices themselves.
Motets and chansons
La Rue's motets are mostly for four voices; they use pervasive imitation, though not usually at the outset (unlike the style of Josquin). His thirty chansons show a diversity of style, some being rather similar to the late Burgundian style (for example, as seen in Hayne van GhizeghemHayne van Ghizeghem
Hayne van Ghizeghem was a Franco-Flemish composer of the early Renaissance Burgundian School.While many of his works have survived, little is known about his life...
or Gilles Binchois
Gilles Binchois
Gilles de Binche , also known as Gilles de Bins , was a Franco-Flemish composer, one of the earliest members of the Burgundian School, and one of the three most famous composers of the early 15th century...
), and others using the more current imitative 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 ....
style. Since he never spent time in Italy, he never picked up the Italian frottola
Frottola
The frottola was the predominant type of Italian popular, secular song of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century. It was the most important and widespread predecessor to the madrigal...
style which featured light, 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 (which Josquin used so effectively in his popular El Grillo and Scaramella), and which so charmed the other members of his generation.
Masses
- Missa Alleluia (5vv);
- Missa Almana (4vv);
- Missa Assumpta est Maria;
- Missa Ave Maria;
- Missa Ave sanctissima Maria (6vv);
- Missa Conceptio tua (5vv);
- Missa Cum iucunditate (or iocunditate) (4 and 5vv);
- Missa de Beata Virgine (4vv);
- Missa de Feria (5vv);
- Missa de Sancta Anna (4vv);
- Missa de santa cruce (5vv);
- Missa de Sancto Antonio (4vv);
- Missa de Sancto Job (4vv);
- Missa de Septem Doloribus (5vv);
- Missa de Virginibus (4vv);
- Missa Incessament (5vv), also known as Missa Sic deus & Non salvatur rex, La Rue's longest mass cycle;
- Missa Inviolata (4vv);
- Missa Iste est Speciosa;
- Missa Jesum Liate;
- Missa L'homme armé I (4vv);
- Missa Nunqua fué pena major;
- Missa O gloriosa Margaretha;
- Missa O Salutaris Hostia (4vv);
- Missa Paschale;
- Missa Pro fidelibus defunctis;
- Missa Puer natus est;
- Missa Sancta Dei Genetrix (4vv);
- Missa Sine Nomine I (4vv);
- Missa Sub tuum praesidium (4vv);
- Missa Tandernaken (4vv);
- Missa Tous les regretz (4vv).
Masses with uncertain attribution
- Missa Iste Confessor;
- Missa L'homme armé II (4vv);
- Missa Sine nomine II (4vv).
Mass fragments
- Kyrie in festo Paschale;
- Kyrie Paschale;
- Credo Angeli Archangeli;
- Credo de villagiis;
- Credo l'amour de moy;
- Credo;
- Credo.
Motets
- Ave Regina coelorum;
- Ave sanctissima Maria;
- Considera Israel;
- Da pacem, Domine;
- Delicta juventutis;
- Gaude virgo mater;
- Lauda anima mea Dominum;
- Laudate Dominum omnes gentes;
- O Domine Jesu Christi;
- O salutaris hostia;
- Pater de caelis Deus;
- Quis dabit pacem;
- Regina coeli;
- Salve mater salvatoris;
- Salve regina I;
- Salve regina II;
- Salve regina III;
- Salve regina IV;
- Salve regina V;
- Salve regina VI;
- Santa Maria virgo;
- Si dormiero;
- Te decet laus;
- Vexilla Regis-Passio Domini.
Motets with uncertain attribution
- Absalom, fili mi (originally attributed to Josquin; gradual scholarly consensus emerging that this may be by La Rue);
- Domini est terra;
- Lamentationes Hieremiae (von MahuMahuMāhū in traditional Hawaiian or Kanaka Maoli culture are third gender persons with traditional roles within Kanaka Maoli society, similar to Tongan fakaleiti and Samoan fa'afafine....
); - Virga tua.
Chansons
- A vous non autre;
- Au fen d’amour;
- Autant en emporte;
- Carmen in re;
- Ce n’est pas jeu;
- Cent mille regretz;
- De l’oeil de le fille;
- Dedans bouton;
- Dicte moy bergere;
- D’ung altre aymer;
- D’ung desplaisier;
- En espoir vis;
- En l’amour d’un dame;
- Forseulement;
- Forseulement;
- Iam sauche;
- Il fault morir;
- Il viendra le jour;
- Incessament mon povre cueur;
- Las que plains tu;
- Ma bouche rit;
- Myn hert altyt heeft verlanghen;
- Plorés, genicés, criés -Requiem;
- Pour ceque je sius;
- Pourquoy non;
- Pourquoy tant me fault; Pour ung jamais;
- Si le changer;
- Tant que nostre argent;
- Tous les regretz;
- Tous nobles cueurs;
- Trop plus secret.
Chansons with uncertain attribution
- Adieu comment;
- Dueil et ennuy;
- Je n’ay regretz;
- Sailliés avant.
Media
- O Salutaris Hostia as interactive hypermedia at the BinAural Collaborative Hypertext
Audio Samples
External links
- O salutaris Hostia, motet: live recording (mp3) from Umeå Akademiska Kör, and sheet music transcription by Alessandro Simonetto
Recordings
"O Salutaris Hostia", Sacred Music of the Renaissance (Cantillation/Walker) ABC classics, 2003 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation 472 881-2)- The Complete Magnificats and Three Salve Reginas of Pierre de la Rue, VivaVoce, Peter Schubert (Naxos 8.557896-97)
- Missa Alleluia, Music At The Burgundian Court, Capilla FlamencaCapilla FlamencaCapilla Flamenca is a vocal and instrumental early music consort based in Leuven, Belgium. The group specialises in 14th to 16th Century music from Flanders and takes its name from the choir of the court chapel of Emperor Charles V...
and Schola Cantorum Cantate Domino, 1995 (Eufoda 1232)
- Margaretha-Maximilian I, Capilla Flamenca together with La Caccia, Schola Cantorum Cantate Domino, Schola Gregoriana Lovaniensis and Joris Verdin, 2001 (Orf CD 265) . Contains a recording of the Missa Iste est speciosa together with various secular works by Pierre de la Rue.
- Missa de Septem Doloribus, Capilla Flamenca and Psallentes, 2002 (MEW 0207)
- Missa Ave Maria en Vespera, Capilla Flamenca and Psallentes, 2005 (MEW 0633)
- Missa Incessament, ensemble amarcordEnsemble amarcordThe ensemble amarcord is a German male classical vocal ensemble based in Leipzig, founded in 1992 by five former members of the Thomanerchor. Their focus is Medieval music, Renaissance music and the collaboration with contemporary composers.- Singers :...
, 2005 (Raum Klang "Edition Apollon" 10105
- Missa l'Homme Armé" - "Missa pro defunctis" (Requiem), Ensemble Clément Janequin, Harmonia Mundi, 1989/1996, HMT 7901296