Johannes Ghiselin
Encyclopedia
Johannes Ghiselin (fl.
1491–1507) was a Flemish
composer of the Renaissance
, active in France, Italy and in the Low Countries. He was a contemporary of Josquin des Prez
, and a significant composer of mass
es, motet
s, and secular music. His reputation was considerable, as shown by music printer Ottaviano Petrucci
's decision to print a complete book of his masses immediately after his similar publication of masses by Josquin – only the second such publication in music history.
, from archival mentions of him as being "da Piccardia" and "fiamengo". He may have been associated with the Burgundian
chapel in the 1470s during the time of Charles the Bold, since he composed Je lay empris for him; however, no documentary record of his having been there has yet been found.
The first direct record of Ghiselin is in 1491, when he was in Ferrara
. Isabella d'Este
sent him to France to get some singers for the Este chapel that same year. In 1492 and 1493 he was a singer in Florence
, and it is possible that he went to France and/or the Low Countries immediately after that. Since he is listed in Jean Crétin's poem (1497) on the death of Ockeghem
along with other students of that famous composer, it has been inferred that he may have studied with Ockeghem, although if so, it is not known if this occurred before coming to Italy or during the mid-1490s.
Ghiselin maintained a connection both with the French court and Ferrara, occasionally serving as an emissary. After Josquin accepted the offer of employment in Ferrara in 1503, Ghiselin traveled with him from Paris to Ferrara, arriving on April 12 "in a splendid carriage". Ghiselin apparently remained in Ferrara until 1505, when both he and Josquin fled the outbreak of the plague there; Jacob Obrecht
, who had recently joined the spectacular musical establishment at the Estense court, remained behind, and succumbed to the contagion in July 1505.
Ghiselin evidently returned to the Low Countries after fleeing Ferrara, for he was in Bergen op Zoom
in 1507, receiving a considerable stipend at the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gilde. He probably died between then and 1511, since the records for those years are missing, and when the records resume his name is absent, and there are no further records of his activity.
. Ghiselin's masses were well-known and respected, as is made clear by Petrucci choosing to publish an entire book of them, only the second book he published devoted to masses by a single composer (1503). Most of his masses are based on chanson
s, including works by Antoine Busnois
, Alexander Agricola
, Guillaume Dufay
, Loyset Compère
, and himself.
Ghiselin also wrote motets, chansons, secular songs in Dutch
, as well as some instrumental music. His setting of "La Spagna" for four parts is probably one of the earliest settings of this famous bassadanza tune for multiple parts, although its date has not been determined.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1491–1507) was a Flemish
County of Flanders
The County of Flanders was one of the territories constituting the Low Countries. The county existed from 862 to 1795. It was one of the original secular fiefs of France and for centuries was one of the most affluent regions in Europe....
composer of the 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...
, active in France, Italy and in the Low Countries. He was a contemporary of 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 significant composer of mass
Mass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
es, 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, and secular music. His reputation was considerable, as shown by music printer Ottaviano Petrucci
Ottaviano Petrucci
Ottaviano Petrucci was an Italian printer. His Harmonice Musices Odhecaton, a collection of chansons printed in 1501, is commonly misidentified as the first book of sheet music printed from movable type. Actually that distinction belongs to the Roman printer Ulrich Han's Missale Romanum of 1476...
's decision to print a complete book of his masses immediately after his similar publication of masses by Josquin – only the second such publication in music history.
Life
Little is known about his early life, but it can be inferred that he was from the south NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, from archival mentions of him as being "da Piccardia" and "fiamengo". He may have been associated with the 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,...
chapel in the 1470s during the time of Charles the Bold, since he composed Je lay empris for him; however, no documentary record of his having been there has yet been found.
The first direct record of Ghiselin is in 1491, when he was in Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
. Isabella d'Este
Isabella d'Este
Isabella d'Este was Marchesa of Mantua and one of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance as a major cultural and political figure. She was a patron of the arts as well as a leader of fashion, whose innovative style of dressing was copied by women throughout Italy and at the French court...
sent him to France to get some singers for the Este chapel that same year. In 1492 and 1493 he was a singer in 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....
, and it is possible that he went to France and/or the Low Countries immediately after that. Since he is listed in Jean Crétin's poem (1497) on the death of 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...
along with other students of that famous composer, it has been inferred that he may have studied with Ockeghem, although if so, it is not known if this occurred before coming to Italy or during the mid-1490s.
Ghiselin maintained a connection both with the French court and Ferrara, occasionally serving as an emissary. After Josquin accepted the offer of employment in Ferrara in 1503, Ghiselin traveled with him from Paris to Ferrara, arriving on April 12 "in a splendid carriage". Ghiselin apparently remained in Ferrara until 1505, when both he and Josquin fled the outbreak of the plague there; Jacob 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:...
, who had recently joined the spectacular musical establishment at the Estense court, remained behind, and succumbed to the contagion in July 1505.
Ghiselin evidently returned to the Low Countries after fleeing Ferrara, for he was in Bergen op Zoom
Bergen op Zoom
Bergen op Zoom is a municipality and a city located in the south of the Netherlands.-History:Bergen op Zoom was granted city status probably in 1266. In 1287 the city and its surroundings became a lordship as it was separated from the lordship of Breda. The lordship was elevated to a margraviate...
in 1507, receiving a considerable stipend at the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gilde. He probably died between then and 1511, since the records for those years are missing, and when the records resume his name is absent, and there are no further records of his activity.
Music and influence
As with Josquin, Ghiselin was interested in solutions to the musical problems posed by the multiple-movement setting of the massCyclic mass
In Renaissance music, the cyclic mass was a setting of the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Mass, in which each of the movements – Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei – shared a common musical theme, commonly a cantus firmus, thus making it a unified whole...
. Ghiselin's masses were well-known and respected, as is made clear by Petrucci choosing to publish an entire book of them, only the second book he published devoted to masses by a single composer (1503). Most of his masses are based on 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, including works by Antoine Busnois
Antoine Busnois
Antoine Busnois was a French composer and poet of the early Renaissance Burgundian School. While also noted as a composer of sacred music, such as motets, he was one of the most renowned 15th-century composers of secular chansons...
, 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...
, Guillaume Dufay
Guillaume Dufay
Guillaume Dufay was a Franco-Flemish composer of the early Renaissance. As the central figure in the Burgundian School, he was the most famous and influential composer in Europe in the mid-15th century.-Early life:From the evidence of his will, he was probably born in Beersel, in the vicinity of...
, Loyset 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...
, and himself.
Ghiselin also wrote motets, chansons, secular songs in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, as well as some instrumental music. His setting of "La Spagna" for four parts is probably one of the earliest settings of this famous bassadanza tune for multiple parts, although its date has not been determined.
Recording
- Salve Mater Salve Jesu, Chant and Polyphony From Bohemia Around 1500, 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...
together with Schola Gregoriana Pragensis and Barbara Maria Willi, 2007 (KTC 1346). Contains a recording of O gloriosa Domina, a motet by Johannes Ghiselin.