Pierre Attaingnant
Encyclopedia
Pierre Attaingnant (c. 1494 – late 1551 or 1552) was a French
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...

 music printer, active in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

.

Life

Attaingnant is considered to be first large-scale publisher of single-impression movable type for music-printing, thus making it possible to print faster and cheaper than predecessors such as 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...

. Attaingnant is often falsely attributed with being the first to develop this technique; however, sufficient evidence exists to suggest that John Rastell, an English printer in London, was the first to use single-impression printing in 1520 . He published over 1500 chansons by many different composers. In this collections the Paris composers, like Claudin de Sermisy
Claudin de Sermisy
Claudin de Sermisy was a French composer of the Renaissance. Along with Clément Janequin he was one of the most renowned composers of French chansons in the early 16th century; in addition he was a significant composer of sacred music...

, Pierre Sandrin
Sandrin
Sandrin was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was a prolific composer of chansons in the middle of the 16th century, some of which were extremely popular and widely distributed.-Life:...

 and Pierre Certon
Pierre Certon
Pierre Certon was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was a representative of the generation after Josquin and Mouton, and was influential in the late development of the French chanson.-Life:...

, are prominently present, but Clément Janequin
Clément Janequin
Clément Janequin was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was one of the most famous composers of popular chansons of the entire Renaissance, and along with Claudin de Sermisy, was hugely influential in the development of the Parisian chanson, especially the programmatic type...

 is at the top of the list with five books of chansons, dedicated to his chansons only. He acquired royal privileges
Printing patent
The printing patent or printing privilege was a precursor of modern copyright. It was an exclusive right to print a work or a class work of works....

 for his music books, which were renewed many times. Eventually he was named imprimeur et libraire du Roy en musique (Royal music-printer and librarian).

Works

Attaingnant's major contribution to music printing consists in his popularizing the single-impression method for music printing, which he first employed in his 1528 publication Chansons nouvelles en musique à quatre parties. In this system, the individual notes were printed directly onto segments of staff
Staff (music)
In standard Western musical notation, the staff, or stave, is a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represent a different musical pitch—or, in the case of a percussion staff, different percussion instruments. Appropriate music symbols, depending upon the intended effect,...

, and so the notes, staff lines, and text could all be printed with one send through the printing press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...

. The main disadvantage of this method was the alignment of the staff lines, which often had a “bumpy” look - some being slightly higher or slightly disjointed from others. Nevertheless, this method became standard music printing practice across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Apart from his 36 collections of chansons, he also published books with pieces in lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....

 or keyboard tablature
Tablature
Tablature is a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering rather than musical pitches....

, as well as Masses
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...

 and 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.

Among the most important documents for the keyboard music in general and in French Renaissance keyboard music in particular are the seven volumes published by Attaingnant in Paris, in the Spring of 1531:
  1. Dixneuf chansons musicales reduictes en la tabulature des Orgues Espinettes Manichordions, et telz semblables instrumentz musicaulx... Idibus Januraii 1530 (sic).
  2. Vingt et cinq chansons musicales reduictes en la tabulature des Orgues Espinettes Manichordions, et telz semblables instrumentz musicaulx... Kal. 1530 (sic).
  3. Vingt et six chansons musicales reduictes en la tabulature des Orgues Espinettes Manichordions, et telz semblables instrumentz musicaulx... Non. Frebruaii 1530 (sic).
  4. Quatorze Gaillardes neuf Pavennes, sept Branles et deux Basses Dances le tout reduict de musique en la tabulature du jeu d'Orgues Espinettes Manicordions et telz semblables instrumentz musicaulx... (February 1531 ?).
  5. Tabulature pour le jeu d’Orgues, Espinettes et Manicordions sur le plain chant de Cunctipotens et Kyrie Fons. Avec leurs Et in terra, Patrem, Sanctus et Agnus Dei... (March 1531).
  6. Magnificat sur les huit tons avec Te Deum laudamus et deux Preludes, le tout mys en tabulature des Orgues Espinettes et Manicordions, et telz semblables instrumentz... Kal. Martii 1530.
  7. Treze Motetz musicaulx avec ung Prelude, le tout reduict en la Tabulature des Orgues Espinettes et Manicordions et telz semblables instrumentz... Kal. Aprilis 1531.

In popular culture

An original composition by Attaingnant has been used three times in contemporary popular music:
  • "Donna ti voglio cantare" by Italian singer-songwriter Angelo Branduardi
    Angelo Branduardi
    Angelo Branduardi , is an Italian folk singer and composer who scored relevant success in Italy and European countries such as France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.- Biography :...

    , recorded in his 1979 album Cogli la prima mela
    Cogli la prima mela
    Cogli la prima mela is an album of the Italian singer-songwriter Angelo Branduardi. It was released in 1979 by Polydor.The title track is a re-elaboration of a medieval Hungarian melody, entitled "U naseho Barty"...

    ;
  • "Play Minstrel Play" by Renaissance band Blackmore's Night
    Blackmore's Night
    Blackmore's Night is an English-American traditional folk rock duo led by Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night .-Early:...

    , in their 1997 album Shadow of the Moon
    Shadow of the Moon
    Shadow of the Moon, released in 1997 on Edel Music, is the first album by musical group Blackmore's Night. It stayed on the German charts for 17 weeks.-Track listing:#"Shadow of the Moon" – 5:06...

    ;
  • "The March Of The Swordmaster" by Rhapsody
    Rhapsody of Fire
    Rhapsody of Fire is an Italian symphonic power metal band led by Alex Staropoli. Since forming in 1993, the band has released eight studio albums, one live album, two EPs, and a live DVD...

    , included in their 2002 album Power of the Dragonflame
    Power of the Dragonflame
    Power of the Dragonflame is the fifth album studio released by Rhapsody in 2002 and is the last chapter in the Emerald Sword Saga.-Track listing:#"In Tenebris" – 1:29#"Knightrider of Doom" – 3:57#"Power of the Dragonflame" – 4:27...

    .


Also, the melody by Attaingnant are used in songs:
  • "Eternal Wait" by Finnish Folk metal band "Ensiferum
    Ensiferum
    Ensiferum is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "heroic folk metal." Since their formation, Ensiferum has released four full-length albums, one EP, one compilation, three singles, and three demo albums and one unreleased album.-Musical...

    ";
  • "O Sonar das Augas" by Spanish Neoclassical darkwave band "Narsilion
    Narsilion (band)
    Narsilion is a neoclassical darkwave band from Spain. Formed in 2000 as Aranmanoth and renamed to Narsilion in 2002 following the disbanding of Ordo Funebris, the band has been under contract with Caustic Records since 2004. The name of the band references the "Narsilion" a song about the creation...

    ";
  • "Tourdion" by German medieval folk band "Die Streuner
    Die Streuner
    Die Streuner is a German band focusing in medieval music formed in 1994, which regularly plays at markets and festivals.- Music style :...

    ".

The original can be heard below, in the first sample, Quand je bois du vin clairet. An alternate version by lute solo also exists, in Attaingnant's printed works.

External links

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