Pierre Phalèse the Elder
Encyclopedia
Pierre Phalèse the Elder (alias Petrus Phalesius, c. 1510–1575) was an important Flemish
music editor and engraver of the sixteenth century.
Phalèse was born in Leuven
about 1510 where he started as a bookseller in 1545, but soon set up a publishing house, and by 1575 had produced some 189 music books. Phalèse at first outsourced his books to various printers, but by 1553 was printing his own high-quality output from movable type. In 1570 he entered into partnership with Jean Bellère, a printer based in Antwerp, enabling him to reach a wider clientele.
The majority of Phalèse's output is dedicated to sacred music – mass
es, motet
s and magnificat
s - the rest being a mix of French chanson
s, Italian madrigal
s, Flemish songs and instrumental works. Phalèse borrowed from many composers and did not hesitate to include works from collections of other publishers. Many pieces are by Clemens non Papa and other Flemish composers such as Lassus
and Rore
, while some of his instrumental pieces are obviously borrowed from the Parisian publishers Le Roy and Ballard. Notable among these is Selectissima... in guiterna ludenda carmina (Louvain, 1570), a collection containing instructions (in Latin
) for amateurs wishing to play the guitar
, together with 115 pieces for that instrument. In the same year Phalèse published a collection of music for cittern
under the title Hortulus cytherae.
Other publications include:
Phalèse died at Louvain in 1575. His sons Corneille and Pierre Phalèse the Younger continued the family firm, moving it in 1581 to premises in Antwerp, where it flourished into the seventeenth century under the direction of Pierre the Elder's granddaughters.
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
music editor and engraver of the sixteenth century.
Phalèse was born in Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
about 1510 where he started as a bookseller in 1545, but soon set up a publishing house, and by 1575 had produced some 189 music books. Phalèse at first outsourced his books to various printers, but by 1553 was printing his own high-quality output from movable type. In 1570 he entered into partnership with Jean Bellère, a printer based in Antwerp, enabling him to reach a wider clientele.
The majority of Phalèse's output is dedicated to sacred music – mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
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 magnificat
Magnificat
The Magnificat — also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn...
s - the rest being a mix of French 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, Italian madrigal
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
s, Flemish songs and instrumental works. Phalèse borrowed from many composers and did not hesitate to include works from collections of other publishers. Many pieces are by Clemens non Papa and other Flemish composers such as Lassus
Orlande de Lassus
Orlande de Lassus was a Franco-Flemish composer of the late Renaissance...
and Rore
Cipriano de Rore
Cipriano de Rore was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance, active in Italy...
, while some of his instrumental pieces are obviously borrowed from the Parisian publishers Le Roy and Ballard. Notable among these is Selectissima... in guiterna ludenda carmina (Louvain, 1570), a collection containing instructions (in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
) for amateurs wishing to play the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, together with 115 pieces for that instrument. In the same year Phalèse published a collection of music for cittern
Cittern
The cittern or cither is a stringed instrument dating from the Renaissance. Modern scholars debate its exact history, but it is generally accepted that it is descended from the Medieval Citole, or Cytole. It looks much like the modern-day flat-back mandolin and the modern Irish bouzouki and cittern...
under the title Hortulus cytherae.
Other publications include:
- Des chansons reductz en tabulature de lut a deux, trois et quatre parties …. Louvain, 1547
- Hortus musarum (over 100 pieces for lute). Louvain, 1552.
- Tiers livre des chansons. Louvain, 1560.
- Hadriani Willaert musici excellentissimi moteta. Louvain, 1561.
- Theatrum musicum (for lute). Louvain, 1563
- Luculentum theatrum musicum (for lute). Louvain, 1568.
- Recueil des fleurs produictes de la divine musique. Louvain, 1569.
- Liber Primus Leviorum. Louvain, 1571.
- Liber leviorum Carminum. Antwerp, 1572.
- Selectissima carmina ludenda in Quinterna. Louvain, 1573.
- La Fleur des chansons a trois parties. Louvain, 1574.
Phalèse died at Louvain in 1575. His sons Corneille and Pierre Phalèse the Younger continued the family firm, moving it in 1581 to premises in Antwerp, where it flourished into the seventeenth century under the direction of Pierre the Elder's granddaughters.