Francesco Cellavenia
Encyclopedia
Francesco Cellavenia was an Italian composer of the Renaissance
, active in Casale Monferrato
.
Little is known about his life, and the few details once thought secure are contested. He may have been from Cilavegna
, a town near Pavia
, judging by his name, and he likely spent a large portion of his career in Casale Monferrato, a town in northwestern Italy
. He may have been maestro di cappella at the cathedral there, or perhaps held a similar post at S Maria di Piazza.
The cathedral in Casale Monferrato possesses several important manuscripts which contain the surviving work by Cellavenia. One of the manuscripts, Casale Monferrato, Duomo, Archivio Capitolare, D (F), includes seven compositions by Cellavenia out of a total of sixty-six compositions, mostly motet
s (other composers with works in the collection include Jean Mouton
, Jean Richafort
, Jacquet of Mantua
, Cristóbal de Morales
, and others). Another manuscript, I-CMac (N)(H), has four motets by Cellavenia. Both were copied in the period from 1538 to 1545.
Cellavenia's music shows a mixture of Italian elements and stylistic traits of the Franco-Flemish
composers from the north. Many of his motet
s are based on pre-existing material: canti firmi
are drawn from composers such as Richafort and Andreas da Silva, composers who are, not surprisingly, represented in the same manuscripts which contain his work – he was familiar with their music from his work at the cathedral. Others of his motets are based on Gregorian chant
s.
His complete works, edited by David Crawford, are in volume 80 of Corpus mensurabilis musicae
(1978).
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...
, active in Casale Monferrato
Casale Monferrato
Casale Monferrato, population 36,058, is a town and comune in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy, part of the province of Alessandria. It is situated about 60 km east of Turin on the right bank of the Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montferrato hills. Beyond the river lies the...
.
Little is known about his life, and the few details once thought secure are contested. He may have been from Cilavegna
Cilavegna
Cilavegna is a comune in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 35 km southwest of Milan and about 35 km northwest of Pavia. As of 31 December 2007, it had a population of 5,352 and an area of 18.0 km²...
, a town near Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
, judging by his name, and he likely spent a large portion of his career in Casale Monferrato, a town in northwestern 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...
. He may have been maestro di cappella at the cathedral there, or perhaps held a similar post at S Maria di Piazza.
The cathedral in Casale Monferrato possesses several important manuscripts which contain the surviving work by Cellavenia. One of the manuscripts, Casale Monferrato, Duomo, Archivio Capitolare, D (F), includes seven compositions by Cellavenia out of a total of sixty-six compositions, mostly 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 (other composers with works in the collection include Jean Mouton
Jean Mouton
Jean Mouton was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was famous both for his motets, which are among the most refined of the time, and for being the teacher of Adrian Willaert, one of the founders of the Venetian School....
, Jean Richafort
Jean Richafort
Jean Richafort was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance.He was probably born in Hainaut, and his native language appears to have been French. He may have studied with Josquin des Prez, though the evidence for this is circumstantial. Richafort served as choir master at St. Rombold...
, Jacquet of Mantua
Jacquet of Mantua
Jacquet of Mantua was a French composer of the Renaissance, who spent almost his entire life in Italy...
, Cristóbal de Morales
Cristóbal de Morales
Cristóbal de Morales was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He is generally considered to be the most influential Spanish composer before Victoria.- Life :...
, and others). Another manuscript, I-CMac (N)(H), has four motets by Cellavenia. Both were copied in the period from 1538 to 1545.
Cellavenia's music shows a mixture of Italian elements and stylistic traits of the Franco-Flemish
Franco-Flemish School
In music, the Franco-Flemish School or more precisely the Netherlandish School refers, somewhat imprecisely, to the style of polyphonic vocal music composition in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries, and to the composers who wrote it...
composers from the north. Many of his 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 are based on pre-existing material: canti firmi
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...
are drawn from composers such as Richafort and Andreas da Silva, composers who are, not surprisingly, represented in the same manuscripts which contain his work – he was familiar with their music from his work at the cathedral. Others of his motets are based on Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
s.
His complete works, edited by David Crawford, are in volume 80 of Corpus mensurabilis musicae
Corpus mensurabilis musicae
The Corpus mensurabilis musicae is a collected print edition of most of the sacred and secular vocal music of the late medieval and Renaissance period in western music history, with an emphasis on the central Franco-Flemish and Italian repertories...
(1978).