Jacques Buus
Encyclopedia
Jacques Buus ( – late August, 1565) was a Franco-Flemish composer and organist
of the Renaissance
, and an early member of the Venetian School. He was one of the earliest composers of the ricercar
, the predecessor to the fugue
, and he was also a skilled composer of chanson
s.
around 1500, though details of his early life, as is the case with most Renaissance composers, are scanty. Possibly he either studied or had his early career in France
, and he maintained some connections there throughout his life. In 1538 he published his first chansons, in Lyon
by the printer Jacques Moderne
.
Three years later he went to Venice
and auditioned for the post of second organist at St. Mark's, winning the job, and working alongside the existing organist, Frate Giovanni Armonio. This was during the tenure of Adrian Willaert
, who built the musical forces at St. Mark's into one of the most impressive in Europe, second only in quality to the papal chapel in Rome
. Buus stayed at St. Mark's until 1550, when he departed for France, ostensibly because he was unable to pay his debts; however it has been suggested that he left because he had become a Protestant
. In 1543 he had dedicated a volume of chansons to the Calvinist
Duchess of Ferrara
, and in 1550 he sent a book of Protestant chansons spirituelles to the Protestant Archduke Ferdinand II
in Vienna
. Late in 1550 he went to Vienna to work at the Habsburg
court, and he remained there for the rest of his life, ignoring entreaties from Venice to return.
; he wrote the longest ever composed, one of which has no less than 98 points of imitation. Another has 358 breve
s (equivalent to 716 bars of 4/4
; the typical tactus of the time allotted 60 to 80 minims, i.e. half-notes, to the minute). They are elaborately contrapuntal
, making use of all the standard devices of Franco-Flemish polyphony
, including augmentation, diminution, inversion, and so forth.
He also wrote sacred vocal music, including motet
s and chansons spirituelles, a specifically Protestant form, although these were not for performance in Catholic Venice. The motets are similar in style to those of Nicolas Gombert
, with dense textures, pervasive imitation, and free treatment of the source material.
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
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...
, and an early member of the Venetian School. He was one of the earliest composers of the ricercar
Ricercar
A ricercar is a type of late Renaissance and mostly early Baroque instrumental composition. The term means to search out, and many ricercars serve a preludial function to "search out" the key or mode of a following piece...
, the predecessor to the fugue
Fugue
In music, a fugue is a compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject that is introduced at the beginning in imitation and recurs frequently in the course of the composition....
, and he was also a skilled composer of 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.
Life
Buus was probably born in GhentGhent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
around 1500, though details of his early life, as is the case with most Renaissance composers, are scanty. Possibly he either studied or had his early career in France
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...
, and he maintained some connections there throughout his life. In 1538 he published his first chansons, in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
by the printer Jacques Moderne
Jacques Moderne
Jacques Moderne was an Italian-born music publisher active in France in the Renaissance Era....
.
Three years later he went to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and auditioned for the post of second organist at St. Mark's, winning the job, and working alongside the existing organist, Frate Giovanni Armonio. This was during the tenure of Adrian Willaert
Adrian Willaert
Adrian Willaert was a Flemish composer of the Renaissance and founder of the Venetian School. He was one of the most representative members of the generation of northern composers who moved to Italy and transplanted the polyphonic Franco-Flemish style there....
, who built the musical forces at St. Mark's into one of the most impressive in Europe, second only in quality to the papal chapel in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Buus stayed at St. Mark's until 1550, when he departed for France, ostensibly because he was unable to pay his debts; however it has been suggested that he left because he had become a Protestant
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. In 1543 he had dedicated a volume of chansons to the Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
Duchess of 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...
, and in 1550 he sent a book of Protestant chansons spirituelles to the Protestant Archduke Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria
Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria was ruler of Further Austria including Tirol.-Life account:...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. Late in 1550 he went to Vienna to work at the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
court, and he remained there for the rest of his life, ignoring entreaties from Venice to return.
Music and influence
Buus was influential in the development of the instrumental ricercarRicercar
A ricercar is a type of late Renaissance and mostly early Baroque instrumental composition. The term means to search out, and many ricercars serve a preludial function to "search out" the key or mode of a following piece...
; he wrote the longest ever composed, one of which has no less than 98 points of imitation. Another has 358 breve
Breve
A breve is a diacritical mark ˘, shaped like the bottom half of a circle. It resembles the caron , but is rounded, while the caron has a sharp tip...
s (equivalent to 716 bars of 4/4
Metre (music)
Meter or metre is a term that music has inherited from the rhythmic element of poetry where it means the number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in each line and the arrangement of those syllables as long or short, accented or unaccented...
; the typical tactus of the time allotted 60 to 80 minims, i.e. half-notes, to the minute). They are elaborately contrapuntal
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
, making use of all the standard devices of Franco-Flemish polyphony
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
, including augmentation, diminution, inversion, and so forth.
He also wrote sacred vocal music, including 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 chansons spirituelles, a specifically Protestant form, although these were not for performance in Catholic Venice. The motets are similar in style to those of Nicolas Gombert
Nicolas Gombert
Nicolas Gombert was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance. He was one of the most famous and influential composers between Josquin des Prez and Palestrina, and best represents the fully developed, complex polyphonic style of this period in music history.-Life:Details of his early life are...
, with dense textures, pervasive imitation, and free treatment of the source material.