This Week in Classical Music: August 5, 2024. Guillaume Dufay. Just last week we mentioned the troublesome fact regarding Early music composers, especially the pre-Renaissance ones: we practically never know their birthdays, and here comes a possible exception in the person of Guillaume Dufay: with some degree of certainty and based on existing documents, musicologists seem to have determined that he was born on August 5th of 1397. At a time when the individuality of the artists was often obscured and considered unimportant, Dufay was acknowledged as the greatest composer of his generation. Dufay, whose name during his time was written Du Fay, had a long and particularly eventful life. He was born in Beersel near Brussels and died at the age of 77 in Cambrai, on November 27th of 1474. As a boy, he studied at the Cathedral of Cambrai. His musical talents were acknowledged from an early age, and cathedral officials allowed Dufay to join the bishop of Cambrai’s retinue on his many travels. On one such trip, he was noticed by Carlo Malatesta, the ruler of Rimini, who brought Dufay to Italy sometime around 1420. He stayed in Rimini for about four years, returning to Cambrai in 1424. Two years later he was back in Italy, this time in Bologna, in the service of Cardinal Louis Aleman. His stay in Bologna was short, as in 1428 the Cardinal and his court, including Dufay, were expelled from the city. Dufay went to Rome, and, by then a well-known musician, he was hired by the papal chapel (choir). He served there till 1433, first to Pope Martin V, and after Martin’s death, to Pope Eugene IV. While in Rome, he asked for and received several “benefices,” clerical positions in churches that provided him with additional income. A large body of work is attributed to the years of Dufay’s sojourn in Rome. In 1434 Dufay joined the Court of Amédée VIII, the Duke of Savoy, then one of the most powerful duchies of Europe, which included not just the French territories by the same name but also Aosta and much of Piedmont in Italy. Again, his stay in Savoy was brief: one year later he was back in the service of Pope Eugene IV but this time in Florence, as, due to the extremely turbulent church politics, the pope was driven out of Rome. In 1437 the papal court moved to Bologna, and at about that time, Dufay received a very important benefice, the cannon’s position at the Cambrai Cathedral.
While serving in Savoy and later at the papal court, Defay developed many valuable connections: with the Burgundy court, where he met another famous composer, Gilles Binchois, and with the Estes, Dukes of Ferrara. Ferrara was an important musical center, second only to the pope’s chapel; Defay visited the city in 1437.
Things were getting even more confusing in Italy, where in 1439 Pope Eugene IV was deposed and Defay’s former patron, Duke Amédée of Savoy was proclaimed Pope (or rather antipope) Felix V. To avoid problems with his warring benefactors, Defay left the papal court and returned to Cambrai, assuming the canonicate. That marked the beginning of the most stable period of Dufay’s life: he stayed in Cambrai for 11 years, till 1450. In 1449 Pope Felix V abdicated, and the politics of Rome calmed down; Dufay started traveling again. In 1450 he went to Turin, to visit Duke Amédée, no longer the Pope (Amédée died shortly after their meeting). In 1452 Dufay went to Savoy again and stayed there for six years, till 1458, this time at the service of Duke Louis
In 1558 Dufay returned to Cambrai and his position of the cannon. A famous composer, he was visited by many notables, including composers Ockeghem and Antoine Busnois. Among the more significant compositions of the period was his Requiem Mass, now lost, unfortunately. Dufay was buried in the Cambrai Cathedral, which was demolished during the French Revolution. His tombstone was later found and is now in a museum in Lille.
Here's Gloria, from Dufay’s Missa de San Anthonii de Padua. The Binshois Concort is directed by Andrew Krikman.
guillaume Dufay, 2024
This Week in Classical Music: August 5, 2024. Guillaume Dufay. Just last week we mentioned the troublesome fact regarding Early music composers, especially the pre-Renaissance ones: we practically never know their birthdays, and here comes a possible exception in the person
of Guillaume Dufay: with some degree of certainty and based on existing documents, musicologists seem to have determined that he was born on August 5th of 1397. At a time when the individuality of the artists was often obscured and considered unimportant, Dufay was acknowledged as the greatest composer of his generation. Dufay, whose name during his time was written Du Fay, had a long and particularly eventful life. He was born in Beersel near Brussels and died at the age of 77 in Cambrai, on November 27th of 1474. As a boy, he studied at the Cathedral of Cambrai. His musical talents were acknowledged from an early age, and cathedral officials allowed Dufay to join the bishop of Cambrai’s retinue on his many travels. On one such trip, he was noticed by Carlo Malatesta, the ruler of Rimini, who brought Dufay to Italy sometime around 1420. He stayed in Rimini for about four years, returning to Cambrai in 1424. Two years later he was back in Italy, this time in Bologna, in the service of Cardinal Louis Aleman. His stay in Bologna was short, as in 1428 the Cardinal and his court, including Dufay, were expelled from the city. Dufay went to Rome, and, by then a well-known musician, he was hired by the papal chapel (choir). He served there till 1433, first to Pope Martin V, and after Martin’s death, to Pope Eugene IV. While in Rome, he asked for and received several “benefices,” clerical positions in churches that provided him with additional income. A large body of work is attributed to the years of Dufay’s sojourn in Rome. In 1434 Dufay joined the Court of Amédée VIII, the Duke of Savoy, then one of the most powerful duchies of Europe, which included not just the French territories by the same name but also Aosta and much of Piedmont in Italy. Again, his stay in Savoy was brief: one year later he was back in the service of Pope Eugene IV but this time in Florence, as, due to the extremely turbulent church politics, the pope was driven out of Rome. In 1437 the papal court moved to Bologna, and at about that time, Dufay received a very important benefice, the cannon’s position at the Cambrai Cathedral.
While serving in Savoy and later at the papal court, Defay developed many valuable connections: with the Burgundy court, where he met another famous composer, Gilles Binchois, and with the Estes, Dukes of Ferrara. Ferrara was an important musical center, second only to the pope’s chapel; Defay visited the city in 1437.
Things were getting even more confusing in Italy, where in 1439 Pope Eugene IV was deposed and Defay’s former patron, Duke Amédée of Savoy was proclaimed Pope (or rather antipope) Felix V. To avoid problems with his warring benefactors, Defay left the papal court and returned to Cambrai, assuming the canonicate. That marked the beginning of the most stable period of Dufay’s life: he stayed in Cambrai for 11 years, till 1450. In 1449 Pope Felix V abdicated, and the politics of Rome calmed down; Dufay started traveling again. In 1450 he went to Turin, to visit Duke Amédée, no longer the Pope (Amédée died shortly after their meeting). In 1452 Dufay went to Savoy again and stayed there for six years, till 1458, this time at the service of Duke Louis
In 1558 Dufay returned to Cambrai and his position of the cannon. A famous composer, he was visited by many notables, including composers Ockeghem and Antoine Busnois. Among the more significant compositions of the period was his Requiem Mass, now lost, unfortunately. Dufay was buried in the Cambrai Cathedral, which was demolished during the French Revolution. His tombstone was later found and is now in a museum in Lille.
Here's Gloria, from Dufay’s Missa de San Anthonii de Padua. The Binshois Concort is directed by Andrew Krikman.