Guillaume Du Fay and the Music of Burgundy biography, Guillaume Du Fay and the Music of Burgundy discography
Guillaume Dufay (Du Fay, Du Fayt) (August 5, 1397?Flemish composer and music theorist of the early Renaissance.Chant settings and fauxbourdon
2.Early life
From the evidence of his will, he was probably born in Beersel, in the vicinity of Brussels.Soon Dufay's musical gifts were noticed by the cathedral authorities, who evidently gave him a thorough training in music; he studied with Rogier de Hesdin during the summer of 1409, and he was listed as a choirboy in the cathedral from 1409 to 1412.Doctrinale in 1411, a highly unusual event for one so young.Later that year he probably went to the Council of Konstanz, staying possibly until 1418, at which time he returned to Cambrai.In 1420 he left Cambrai again, this time going to Rimini, and possibly Pesaro, where he worked for the Malatesta family.Although no records survive of his employment there, several compositions of his can be dated to this period; they contain references that make a residence in Italy reasonably certain.He became a member of the Papal Choir, serving first Pope Martin V, and then after the death of Pope Martin in 1431, Pope Eugene IV.Pope Eugene having been driven from Rome in 1434 by the establishment of an insurrectionary republic there, sympathetic to the Council of Basel and the Conciliar movement.In 1436 Dufay composed the festive motet Nuper rosarum flores, one of his most famous compositions, which was sung at the dedication of Brunelleschi's dome of the cathedral in Florence, where Eugene lived in exile.In 1437 Dufay visited the town.Marquis maintained the contact with Dufay, and not only continued financial support for the composer but copied and distributed some of his music.At this time Dufay returned to his homeland, arriving in Cambrai by December of that year.Dufay was to remain in Cambrai through the 1440s, and during this time he was also in the service of the Duke of Burgundy.While in Cambrai he collaborated with Nicolas Grenon on a complete revision of the liturgical musical collection of the cathedral, which included writing an extensive collection of polyphonic music for services.In addition to his musical work, he was active in the general administration of the cathedral.VIII of Savoy, the struggle between different factions within the Church began to heal, and Dufay once again left Cambrai for points south.This time he did not return to Cambrai for six years, and during that time he attempted to find either a benefice or an employment which would allow him to stay in Italy.Numerous compositions, including one of the four Lamentationes that he composed on the fall of Constantinople in 1453, his famous mass based on Se la face ay pale, as well as a letter to Lorenzo de'Medici, survive from this period: but as he was unable to find a satisfactory position for his retirement, he returned north in 1458.Louis of Savoy, but he was more likely in a ceremonial role, since the records of the chapel never mention him.Philip the Good's call for a new crusade against the Turks, who had recently captured Constantinople.He also wrote a Requiem mass around 1460, which is lost.None of his surviving music is specifically instrumental, although instruments were certainly used for some of his secular music, especially for the lower parts; all of his sacred music is vocal.Instruments may have been used to reinforce the voices in actual performance for almost any portion of his output.In his lifetime, Dufay wrote seven complete masses, 28 individual Mass movements, 15 settings of chant used in Mass Propers, three Magnificants, two Benidicamus Domino settings, 15 antiphon settings (6 are Marian antiphons), 27 hymns, 22 motets (13 are isorhythmic) and 87 chansons.Assigning works to Dufay based on alleged stylistic similarities has been a favorite pastime of musicologists for at least a hundred years, judging from the copious literature on the subject.By the end of his career, the cyclic mass had become the predominant and most substantial form of sacred music composition in Europe.However, by the 1450s, Dufay's masses were much influenced by the English style (for example, the music of John Dunstaple); his masses of this period mostly use cantus firmus technique, and also isorhythm, as in his motets.While this style originated in England with composers such as Leonel Power and John Dunstaple, Dufay brought it to the continent.His motets were apparently not intended for liturgical use, but instead were written for specific occasions, sometimes considerably ceremonial ones.In style they are isorhythmic, using a structural method which had been in use already for more than a hundred years; and in addition they are compositions of considerable complexity, with the isorhythm often occurring in all voices.Sometimes the sections of the motets themselves are carefully contrived to have a symbolic value, such as in the motet Nuper rosarum flores, written for the dedication of Brunelleschi's dome to the cathedral in Florence on 25 March 1436, in which the proportions of the sections exactly match the supposed proportions of Solomon's Temple.Dufay himself probably took part in this performance, and an eyewitness account attests to the presence of numerous string and wind players at the performance, who filled the chamber with their sounds during the impressive ceremony; likely they also accompanied the motet.Dufay evidently thought enough of his own motet to quote its coda at the end of the last isorhythmic motet he ever wrote, Fulgens iubar, in 1447.While technically not classed as a motet, it has a similar texture and uses a cantus firmus.Chant settings and fauxbourdon
Many of Dufay's compositions were simple settings of chant, obviously designed for liturgical use, likely as substitutes for the unadorned chant, and can be seen as chant harmonizations.The beginning of Dufay's setting of Ave maris stella, in fauxbourdon.The top and bottom lines are freely composed; the middle line, designated "fauxbourdon" in the original chant, follows the top line but exactly a perfect fourth below.Dufay may have been the first composer to use the term fauxbourdon to describe this style, which was prominent in 15th century liturgical music, especially that of the Burgundian school.As is the case with his motets, many of the songs were written for specific occasions, and many are datable, thus supplying useful biographical information.Most of his songs are for three voices, using a texture dominated by the highest voice; the other two voices, unsupplied with text, were likely played by instruments.Carlo was a son of Malatesta dei Sonetti, Lord of Pesaro.The musical setting emphasizes passages in the text which specifically refer to the couple being married.His compositions within the larger genres, masses, motets and chansons, are mostly similar to each other; his renown is largely due to what was perceived as his perfect control of the forms in which he worked, as well as his gift for memorable and singable melody.The early music ensemble Dufay Collective is named for the composer.Problems listening to this file?References
David Fallows, "Dufay", revised edition.Massimo Mila: "Guillaume Dufay", Torino, G.Musikforschung, Berlin
Gustave Reese, Music in the Renaissance.Further info and sample pages
Craig Wright, Dufay at Cambrai: Discoveries and Revisions.Karen Eales, Music of the Middle Ages (II).Cambrai, 1974
Van den Borren (I), Guillaume Du Fay, son importance ....Van den Borren (II), Guillaume Du Fay, centre de rayonnement...External links
Guillaume Dufay free scores in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
Free scores by Guillaume Dufay in the Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA)
Ave Regina Caelorum, the score at the classicaland.All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.Generally regarded as the leading composer of his time, Guillaume
Dufay was born in Cambrai at the beginning of the 15th century.Burgundian or First Netherlands School of composers, flourishing
in the territory ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy, but widespread
in its own influence as the predominant Renaissance musical style.Se la face ay pale and another on his Marian antiphon Ave regina caelorum.His isorhythmic motet, a work using a particular rhythmic structural device developed in the previous century, Nuper rosarum flores, was performed at the dedication of the Brunelleschi dome in Florence in 1436.Dufay wrote more than seventy chansons setting verses in the fashionable forms of the time, the ballade, the virelai and rondeau.It would be invidious to make distinction between many of these, the majority in the form of rondeaux, although Adieu ces bons vins de Lannoys strikes a note of poetic nostalgia that may arouse sympathy."Please enter at least one search field."The fifteenth century saw the rise of a new musical style, one in which harmonies began to center on full triads and the setting of the text became an important concern to composers.Guillaume Du Fay is one of the most important figures in this transition from the medieval to Renaissance style, which took place mainly among composers associated with the rich court of Burgundy.But his career took a decidedly international turn early on.During that time he also earned a degree in canon law, probably at the University of Bologna.Du Fay wrote both sacred and secular music; he is perhaps best known for his cantus firmus Masses.Works:
Sacred works including at least 7 complete Mass settings, numerous Mass movements and pairs, 30 motets and 60 other sacred works (hymns, etc.What's New for November 2008?Dufay was one of the most highly regarded composers of his generation, and one of those principally responsible for inaugurating the Renaissance in music.Nuper rosarum flores, Alma redemptoris mater, etc.Classical NetUse of text, images, or any other copyrightable material contained in these pages, without the written permission of the copyright holder,except as specified in the Copyright Notice, is strictly prohibited.Considered the leading composer of the early Renaissance.Guillaume Du Fay is one of the most important figures in this transition from the medieval to Renaissance style, which took place mainly among composers associated with the rich court of Burgundy.But his career took a decidedly international turn early on.During his years there, he worked for courts in Pesaro, Ferrara, and sang in the Papal choir in Rome.He spent the latter part of his life back at the cathedral in Cambrai.Du Fay wrote both sacred and secular music; he is perhaps best known for his cantus firmus Masses.At the same time, we can still find the medieval concern with structure and isorhythm in his sacred music, especially his cantus firmus masses.Sacred works: At least 7 complete Mass settings, numerous Mass movements and pairs, 30 motets and 60 other sacred works (hymns, etc.Secular works: More than 50 rondeaux, 10 ballades, 4 virelais, 15 other works.Guillaume Du Fay, perhaps the most famous composer of the fifteenth century, was born Willem Du Fayt on or around August 5, 1397.On June 24, 1414, when Du Fay was still only seventeen, he became chaplain at St.His earliest datable composition, a Sanctus, was written during this time.Sometime before November 1418, Du Fay came back to Cambrai, remaining there until 1420.Presumably they met at the Council of Konstanz, since Malatesta had never visited Cambrai.During his time in Rimini, Du Fay continued writing sacred music (both masses and motets) but also wrote secular ballades and rondeaus.Even in later years, when Du Fay was composing for other patrons, he continued to write works for Malatesta ceremonies and celebrations.After being expelled from Bologna, Du Fay returned to Rome where he became a member of the papal chapel under Pope Martin V.When Martin V died in 1431, Du Fay served the new pope, Eugenius IV.The meeting between Du Fay and Binchois is commemorated in a poem, Le champion des dames, by Martin le Franc, who was also present at the wedding.Sometime before July 1435, Du Fay returned to the papal chapel.Colonnas, the chapel was residing in Florence.Pope Felix V, but Eugenius refused to step down.As was common for churchmen of the time, Du Fay held multiple positions in the church, including appointments as canon at Cambrai (granted in 1436) and Bruges (first proposed in 1431 but not granted until 1438).This position enabled Du Fay to return to Cambrai, which was part of Burgundian territory at the time.Du Fay served as canon at Cambrai Cathedral.His mother still lived in Cambrai but died on April 23, 1444.She was buried in the cathedral.Order of the Golden Fleece, for whom mass was said weekly at the Sainte Chapelle in Dijon.Nicholas V, was elected on April 19.The reason for his trip may have been to visit Padua, since he had recently written a mass, the Missa S.Around this time, he seems to have renewed his ties to Savoy once more.In recognition of his musical contributions, Cambrai awarded him a large payment in addition to his regular salary on April 21, 1452.Du Fay left Cambrai for Savoy soon afterwards.Du Fay returned to Cambrai in the autumn of 1458, serving once again as canon of the cathedral.Antoine Busnoys probably met Du Fay on trips to Cambrai as well.In that year, he bought parcels of land in Beersel and Wodecq, another small town in Belgium.He intended this land to provide an income for both his funeral and the commemorative services that were to take place weekly after his death.In July 1474, Du Fay wrote his will.One of his requests was that the singers of Cambrai Cathedral should sing his motet Ave regina celorum as he lay on his deathbed.He died too suddenly for his wish to be fulfilled, however.His funeral monument survived the destruction of Cambrai Cathedral during the French Revolution and is now in a museum in Lille.The Development of Western Music: A History.Today, we value Dufay's music not only for its grace and invention, but also for its significant historical position in the quickly evolving style of the early Renaissance.Flemish composer and music theorist of the early Renaissance.From the evidence of his will, Guillaume Dufay was probably born in Beersel, in the vicinity of Brussels.Soon Dufay's musical gifts were noticed by the cathedral authorities, who evidently gave him a thorough training in music; he studied with Rogier de Hesdin during the summer of 1409, and he was listed as a choirboy in the cathedral from 1409 to 1412.Doctrinale in 1411, a highly unusual event for one so young.In June 1414, at the age of only 16, he had already been given a benefice as chaplain at St.In 1420 he left Cambrai again, this time going to Rimini, and possibly Pesaro, where he worked for the Malatesta family.Although no records survive of his employment there, several compositions of his can be dated to this period; they contain references which make a residence in Italy reasonably certain.By 1426, however, he had gone back to Italy, this time to Bologna, where he entered the service of Cardinal Louis Aleman, the papal legate.While in Bologna he became a deacon, and by 1428 he was a priest.Cardinal Aleman was driven from Bologna by the rival Canedoli family in 1428, and Dufay also left at this time, going to Rome.He became a member of the Papal Choir, serving first Pope Martin V, and then after the death of Pope Martin in 1431, Pope Eugenius IV.In 1437 Dufay visited the town.Marquis maintained the contact with Dufay, and not only continued financial support for the composer but copied and distributed some of his music.Savoy himself, as Pope (Antipope) Felix V.At this time Dufay returned to his homeland, arriving in Cambrai by December of that year.In order to be a canon at Cambrai, he needed a law degree, which he obtained in 1437; he may have studied at Turin University in 1436.Dufay was to remain in Cambrai through the 1440s, and during this time he was also in the service of the Duke of Burgundy.In addition to his musical work, he was active in the general administration of the cathedral.Numerous compositions, including one of the four Lamentationes that he composed on the fall of Constantinople in 1453, his famous mass based on Se la face ay pale, as well as a letter to Lorenzo de'Medici, survive from this period: but as he was unable to find a satisfactory position for his retirement, he returned north in 1458.When he returned to Cambrai for his final years, he was appointed canon of the cathedral.He also wrote a Requiem mass around 1460, which is lost.After an illness of several weeks, Dufay died on November 27, 1474.He had requested that his motet Ave regina celorum be sung for him as he died, with pleas for mercy interpolated between verses of the antiphon, but time was insufficient for this to be arranged.Dufay was buried in the chapel of St.The wide distribution of his music is all the more impressive considering that he died several decades before the availability of music printing.Dufay wrote in most of the common forms of the day, including masses, motets, Magnificats, hymns, simple chant settings in fauxbourdon, and antiphons within the area of sacred music, and rondeaux, ballades, virelais and a few other chanson types within the realm of secular music.Instruments may have been used to reinforce the voices in actual performance for almost any portion of his output.By the end of his career, it the cyclic mass become the predominant and most substantial form of sacred music composition in Europe.However, by the 1450s, Dufay's masses were much influenced by the English style (for example, the music of John Dunstable); his masses of this period mostly use cantus firmus technique, and also isorhythm, as in his motets.The archaic head motif technique he left behind.One late mass, the Missa 'Ave regina' , based on a Marian antiphon setting of that name he wrote in 1463, uses all of the techniques Dufay used during his career, and may have been written as a deliberate summation.Dufay's late masses are all tenor masses, i.Motets
Most of Dufay's motets were relatively early works, and he seems not to have written any during the last thirty years of his life.His motets were apparently not intended for liturgical use, but instead were written for specific occasions, sometimes considerably ceremonial ones.In style they are isorhythmic, using a structural method which had been in use already for more than a hundred years; and in addition they are compositions of considerable complexity, with the isorhythm often occurring in all voices.Dufay himself probably took part in this performance, and an eyewitness account attests to the presence of numerous string and wind players at the performance, who filled the chamber with their sounds during the impressive ceremony; likely they also accompanied the motet.Omnes amici eius), written sometime between 1454 and 1457.Often the harmonization used a technique of parallel writing known as fauxbourdon.He also wrote a handful of Italian ballata, almost certainly while he was in Italy.As is the case with his motets, many of the songs were written for specific occasions, and many are datable, thus supplying useful biographical information.The musical form is aabC for each stanza, with C being the refrain.Dufay was not an innovator, with the exception of a few late works, and wrote within a stable tradition.His compositions within the larger genres, masses, motets and chansons, are mostly similar to each other; his renown is largely due to what was perceived as his perfect control of the forms in which he worked, as well as his gift for memorable and singable melody.During the 15th century he was universally regarded as the greatest composer of the time, and that belief has largely persisted to the present day.David Fallows: "Dufay", revised edition.ISBN 0460024930
Charles Hamm: "Guillaume Dufay", in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed.ISBN 1561591742
Gustave Reese: Music in the Renaissance.
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