Cipriano de Rore facts for kids
Cipriano de Rore (born around 1515 or 1516 – died in September 1565) was an important composer from the Franco-Flemish region. He lived and worked in Italy during the Renaissance period. Rore was one of the most famous composers of madrigals in the mid-1500s. His unique and expressive music style greatly influenced how this type of song developed later on.
Contents
Life Story
Early Years
We don't know much about Cipriano de Rore's early life. He was likely born in 1515 or 1516. This is known from his tombstone in Parma Cathedral, which says he was 49 when he died. His birthplace was probably Ronse (Renaix), a small town in Flanders. This town was right on the border between French-speaking and Dutch-speaking areas.
His parents were Celestinus Rore and Barbara Van Coppenolle. He had at least two siblings. His family had lived in Ronse since at least the 1400s. Their family symbol was on his personal seal and his tombstone.
It's not clear where he learned music. Some think he might have gone to Naples in 1533 with Margaret of Parma. She was the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Margaret was born near Rore's hometown. Before this, he might have had music lessons in Antwerp. Many talented singers from the Netherlands went to Italy when they were young.
Time in Venice and Ferrara
For a long time, people thought Rore studied music in Venice with Adrian Willaert. They also believed he sang at St. Mark's Basilica. However, there is no clear proof of this. Still, he was very close to Willaert and his friends for most of his career. He visited Venice at least once before 1542.
From 1542, we know more about where Rore was. A letter from November 1542 shows he was in Brescia. He stayed there until April 1545. During this time, he became famous as a composer. He published his first book of madrigals in 1542. He also released two books of motets in 1544 and 1545. These works were reprinted, showing how highly they were thought of.
Rore then moved to Ferrara. Records show he became the maestro di cappella (choirmaster) there in May 1546. This was a very busy time for him. While working for Duke Ercole II d'Este, he wrote many masses, motets, chansons, and madrigals. Many of these songs were about events at the court. In 1556, Duke Ercole rewarded Rore for his excellent work.
During his years in Ferrara, Rore also connected with the court of Albrecht V of Bavaria in Munich. He sent them music. Twenty-six of his motets were put into a special book with pictures by Hans Müelich. In 1558, Rore asked for time off from his job in Ferrara. He wanted to go home to care for his sick parents. He stopped in Munich on his way. There, he helped prepare the motet book and posed for the Müelich painting. By December, he had returned to Ferrara.
Leaving Ferrara and Last Years
In July 1559, Rore left his job in Ferrara again. This might have been because the new Duke, Alfonso II d'Este, preferred a local composer. Rore went north to his homeland once more. This time, he did not return to work for the Este family.
His hometown, Ronse, had been destroyed by the Wars of Independence. When Rore arrived in autumn 1559, he found his home ruined. He could not get his old job back in Ferrara. So, he started working for the House of Farnese. After a stay in Antwerp, he returned to Italy in 1560. He went to Parma.
Rore was not happy in Parma. It was not as important a cultural center as Ferrara or Venice. He left in 1563. He briefly took the important job of choirmaster at St. Mark's after his teacher Adrian Willaert died. However, he only stayed in this job until 1564. He returned to Parma, saying the chapel was disorganized and his salary was too low.
He died in Parma the next year at age 49. The cause of his death is unknown. He was buried in the cathedral there. His nephew, Lodovico Rore, put up his tombstone. The words on it said that Rore's name would never be forgotten.
Music and Influence
Rore was one of the most important composers in the mid-1500s. His madrigals, in particular, spread his fame widely. His 1542 book of madrigals was a big deal at the time. It made five voices the standard for madrigals, instead of four. It also blended the complex polyphonic style of Netherlandish motets with Italian secular songs. This brought a serious tone to madrigals, which became a major trend until the 1600s.
Many ideas in later madrigal music came from Rore. According to music expert Alfred Einstein, Rore's only true musical successor was Claudio Monteverdi. Monteverdi was another revolutionary composer. However, Rore's sacred music looked more to the past. It showed his connection to his Netherlandish roots. For example, his masses were similar to the works of Josquin des Prez.
Rore wrote 107 madrigals that we know for sure are his. He also composed 16 secular Latin pieces, similar to madrigals. He wrote at least seven chansons and 53 motets. Fifty-one of his motets still exist today. His other works include a Passion according to Saint John, five settings of the mass, and some Magnificats.
Sacred Music
While Rore is most famous for his Italian madrigals, he also wrote a lot of sacred music. This included both masses and motets. He built on the techniques of older composers like Josquin. Rore's first three masses were a response to the music of his predecessors. Besides five masses, he wrote about 80 motets, many psalms, and a setting of the St. John Passion.
Secular Music
Rore became truly famous as a composer of madrigals. His madrigals were published mostly between 1542 and 1565. He was one of the most influential madrigal composers of his time. His early madrigals were like Willaert's style. They used clear words, rich and continuous counterpoint, and widespread imitation. These works were mostly for four or five voices. One was for six voices, and another for eight.
His music tended to be serious. This was different from the lighter music of earlier composers like Arcadelt. Rore chose not to write silly madrigals. He preferred to focus on serious topics, such as the works of Petrarch. He also set music to tragedies performed in Ferrara. Rore carefully brought out the different feelings in the texts he used. He created musical ways to do this. He often ignored the structure of the poem's lines or rhymes. He felt it wasn't always necessary for the music and poetry to match exactly.
Rore also experimented with chromaticism. This means using notes outside the main scale. He followed some ideas from his friend Nicola Vicentino. He used all the musical tools available in the mid-1500s. This included imitation and canonic techniques. All of these were used to set the text carefully.
He became a role model for many great madrigal composers of the late 1500s. This included Claudio Monteverdi. According to Alfred Einstein, Rore's true musical successor was Monteverdi. Einstein also said that Rore "holds the key to the whole development of the Italian madrigal after 1550."
Rore also wrote secular Latin motets. These were unusual for the mid-1500s. They were a non-religious version of a religious music style. They were similar to the madrigale spirituale, which was a religious version of a popular non-religious song. These motets sounded like his madrigals. He published them throughout his career. Sometimes they appeared in madrigal collections. For example, in his Fifth Book for five voices (1566), published after he died. He also included some in a collection of motets for five voices in 1545.
Works
Secular
- I madrigali (Venice, 1542, five voices)
- Il primo libro de madregali cromatici (Venice, 1544, five voices; a bigger version of the 1542 publication)
- Il secondo libro de madregali (Venice, 1544, five voices)
- Il terzo libro di madrigali, (Venice, 1548, five voices)
- Musica ... sopra le stanze del Petrarcha ... libro terzo (Venice, 1548, five voices)
- Il primo libro de madrigali (Ferrara, 1550, five voices) (also has chansons in French)
- Il quarto libro d'imadregali (Venice, five voices)
- Il secondo libro de madregali, (Venice, 1557, four voices)
- Li madrigali libro quarto, (Venice, 1562, five voices)
- Le vive fiamme de' vaghi e dilettevoli madrigali, (Venice, 1565, four and five voices) (also has secular Latin pieces)
- Il quinto libro de madrigali (1566, five voices) (also has secular Latin pieces)
- Many other works in collections, between 1547 and 1570
Sacred
- Motectorum liber primus (Venice, 1544, five voices)
- Motetta (Venice, 1545, five voices)
- Il terzo libro di motetti (Venice, 1549, five voices)
- Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi secundum Joannem (Paris, 1557; two to six voices)
- Motetta (Venice, 1563, four voices)
- Sacrae cantiones (Venice, 1595; five to seven voices)
See also
In Spanish: Cipriano de Rore para niños
