Pierre de la Rue facts for kids

An old drawing of Pierre de la Rue from the 1800s

Pierre de la Rue (born around 1452 – died November 20, 1518) was a famous composer and singer from the Franco-Flemish region during the Renaissance period. He was one of the most well-known and important composers of his time, especially for his polyphonic music style. He worked for the Habsburg royal family for a long time.

Biography

Pierre's Early Life

Pierre de la Rue was probably born in Tournai, which is now part of Belgium. He likely learned music at the Notre-Dame Cathedral there, which had a big music program. His father might have been Jean de la Rue, a master artist who made illuminated manuscripts.

We don't have many records from his childhood. However, a singer named Peter vander Straten (which is the Flemish version of his name) worked at the Ste. Gudule in Brussels around 1469–1470. Many believe this was Pierre. In 1471, he was a part-time singer in Ghent. By 1472, he was hired more permanently at a church in Nieuwpoort.

We don't know much about where he was during the 1480s. He might have worked at a place called "St Ode" and possibly at the cathedral in Cambrai. Some old stories said he went to Siena, Italy, but it turns out that was a different singer. Pierre de la Rue probably never visited Italy, which was unusual for famous composers from his region back then.

In 1489, he was paid by a group in 's-Hertogenbosch as "Peter vander Straten." The records show he had come from Cologne, so he had spent some time singing in Germany. He stayed in 's-Hertogenbosch until 1492. Then, he joined the Grande chapelle (Grand Chapel) of Emperor Maximilian I. He worked for the Habsburg family and the Grande chapelle for the rest of his life.

Working for the Royal Court

The Grande chapelle was the main music group for the Burgundian-Habsburg court. It had a long and impressive history even before Philip the Handsome took charge in 1494. Many famous composers had worked there. It was a very important music group, just as good as the Pope's chapel in Rome. Its quality kept getting better with new composers joining. This was the amazing musical world Pierre de la Rue entered as he became a full-fledged composer.

While working with the Grande chapelle, Pierre de la Rue traveled to Spain twice. During his second trip in 1506, his ship was in a storm in the English Channel. He ended up spending three months at the court of Henry VII of England. After two more years in Spain, serving Juana of Castile (also known as Joanna the Mad), he returned to the Netherlands in 1508. Juana was very sad and unwell after her husband, Philip, died. It's thought that Pierre's deep and emotional music might have been one of the few things that comforted her. She even made him the head of the chapel and paid him twice as much as other singers.

During his travels with the Grande chapelle, he met many other Franco-Flemish composers like Josquin and Isaac. These meetings likely helped shape his own musical style.

Later Years and Legacy

Between 1508 and 1514, the court mostly stayed in Mechelen and Brussels. This time is believed to be when La Rue wrote most of his music, as he had more free time and didn't have to travel as much. After Charles V became older in 1515, the court started traveling again. La Rue retired shortly after a big tour of many cities in Charles's empire. He likely left his job in May or June 1516, during a visit to Kortrijk. He stayed there until he died a little over two years later.

Pierre de la Rue was quite wealthy when he died, especially for a singer who wasn't from a noble family. We know a lot about his will. He had chests of money and a good income from his church positions. He gave money to his relatives, charities, choirs, and other groups. He also arranged for many special church services to be sung after his death. He asked to be buried in the church in Kortrijk. It seems he was well-liked by his fellow musicians throughout his career.

Music

What Made His Music Special

La Rue wrote many different types of music, including masses, motets, Magnificats, and chansons (French songs). This shows his important role as a top composer at one of Europe's best music schools. Some experts think he only composed music during the last 20 years of his life, mostly when he worked for the emperor. It's hard to know the exact dates of his pieces. His style is most similar to that of Josquin, another famous composer of the time.

La Rue's music had some unique features. He liked to use very low voices, sometimes going even lower than the bass notes. He also used more chromaticism (notes outside the main scale) than most composers then. Much of his music was rich in dissonance (notes that sound a bit clashing but resolve). He was also one of the first to regularly use five or six voices instead of the usual four. One of his masses for six voices, the Missa Ave sanctissima Maria, is a six-voice canon. This means all six voices sing the same melody but start at different times. This was a very difficult musical trick. It's also the earliest known mass for six voices.

Writing canons was a very important part of La Rue's style. He was famous for creating complex canons, not just simple ones. He sometimes seemed to be competing with the more famous Josquin. La Rue wrote six pieces that were entirely canonic from beginning to end. He also wrote many other works that included parts with canons.

His Masses: Special Songs for Church

La Rue was also one of the first composers to use the parody technique a lot. This meant he would take music from an existing song and use parts of it throughout a new mass. Some of his masses used the cantus firmus technique, where a main melody is held steady. But he often preferred the paraphrase technique, where he would decorate a simple melody and move it between different voices.

La Rue wrote one of the earliest Requiem Masses that we still have today, and it's one of his most famous works. A Requiem Mass is a special service for the dead. His Requiem focused on the lower voices.

Motets and Chansons: Other Kinds of Music

Twenty-five of La Rue's motets (sacred vocal pieces) still exist. Most of them are for four voices. He often used imitation (where one voice copies another) within sections of his motets. Another special thing about his motets is that he used ostinatos, which are short musical patterns repeated over and over. He also used "germinal motifs," which are small, easy-to-recognize patterns that grow into larger melodies, giving the music a sense of unity. Overall, his motets are complex, with each voice having its own unique sound.

More than half of his motets are about the Virgin Mary. La Rue was the first composer to write a Magnificat (a song of praise) for each of the eight musical modes. He also wrote six different versions of the Marian song Salve regina. These were likely some of his earlier works.

His thirty chansons (French secular songs) show different styles. Some are like the older Burgundian style, while others use a more modern imitative polyphonic style. Since La Rue never lived in Italy, he didn't pick up the Italian frottola style. This style had lighter, homophonic (all voices moving together) textures, which other composers like Josquin used a lot.

Works

Masses

• Missa Alleluia (5 voices);
• Missa Almana (4 voices);
• Missa Assumpta est Maria (4 voices);
• Missa Ave Maria (4 voices);
• Missa Ave sanctissima Maria (6 voices);
• Missa Conceptio tua (5 voices);
• Missa Cum iucunditate (or iocunditate) (4 and 5 voices);
• Missa de Beata Virgine (4 voices);
• Missa de Feria (5 voices);
• Missa de Sancta Anna (4 voices);
• Missa de Santa Cruce (5 voices);
• Missa de Sancto Antonio (4 voices);
• Missa de Sancto Job (4 voices);
• Missa de Septem Doloribus (5 voices);
• Missa de Virginibus (4 voices);
• Missa Incessament (5 voices), also known as Missa Sic deus & Non salvatur rex, La Rue's longest mass;
• Missa Inviolata (4 voices);
• Missa Iste est Speciosa (5 voices);
• Missa Jesum Liate (4 voices);
• Missa L'homme armé I (4 voices);
• Missa Nunqua fué pena major;
• Missa O gloriosa Margaretha (4 voices);
• Missa O salutaris hostia (4 voices);
• Missa Pascale (5 voices);
• Missa Pro fidelibus defunctis (4-5 voices);
• Missa Puer natus est (4 voices);
• Missa Sancta Dei Genitrix (4 voices);
• Missa Sine Nomine I (4 voices);
• Missa Sub Tuum praesidium (4 voices);
• Missa Tandernaken (4 voices);
• Missa Tous les regretz (4 voices).

Masses with uncertain attribution

• Missa Iste Confessor;
• Missa L'homme armé II (4 voices);
• Missa sine nomine II (4 voices).

Mass fragments

• Kyrie in festo Paschale;
• Kyrie Paschale;
• Credo Angeli Archangeli;
• Credo de villagiis;
• Credo l'amour de moy;
• Credo;
• Credo.

Motets

• Ave Regina cœlorum;
• Ave sanctissima Maria;
• Considera Israel;
• Da pacem, Domine;
• Delicta juventutis;
• Gaude virgo mater;
• Lauda anima mea Dominum;
• Laudate Dominum omnes gentes;
• O Domine Jesu Christi;
• O salutaris hostia;
• Pater de caelis Deus;
• Quis dabit pacem;
• Regina coeli;
• Salve mater salvatoris;
• Salve regina I;
• Salve regina II;
• Salve regina III;
• Salve regina IV;
• Salve regina V;
• Salve regina VI;
• Santa Maria virgo;
• Si dormiero;
• Te decet laus;
• Vexilla Regis-Passio Domini.

Recordings

• Pierre de La Rue: Portrait musical, Capilla Flamenca, Dirk Snellings (Musique en Wallonie, 2011, MEW 11059, 3 CDs). Includes four mass settings (Missa de septem doloribus, Missa Ave Maria, Missa Sub tuum praesidium and Missa Alleluia), motets and chansons.
• The Complete Magnificats and Three Salve Reginas of Pierre de la Rue, VivaVoce, Peter Schubert (Naxos 8.557896-97)
• Missa Incessament, ensemble amarcord, 2005 (Raum Klang "Edition Apollon" 10105
• Missa l'Homme Armé" – "Missa pro defunctis" (Requiem), Ensemble Clément Janequin, Harmonia Mundi, 1989/1996, HMT 7901296
• "O Salutaris Hostia", Sacred Music of the Renaissance (Cantillation/Walker) ABC classics, 2003 (Australian Broadcasting Corporation 472 881-2)
• Missa Nuncqua fue pena mayor & Missa Inviolata, The Brabant Ensemble/Stephen Rice (Hyperion CDA 68150, 2016)

See also

In Spanish: Pierre de La Rue para niños