Pierre de Manchicourt

Aliases: Mancicourt, Manchicurti

Life

Born: c. 1510, Béthune (then County of Artois, Habsburg Netherlands; now Pas-de-Calais, France)

Died: 5 October 1564, Madrid

Biography

Few records of Manchicourt's life survive: what we know of his life and work is obtained primarily from publications of his works. The earliest known information indicates that in 1525 he was a choirboy at Arras. By 1539, he was provost at the cathedral in Tours, where he would have had access to a considerable library of the works of the great master, and previous incumbent, Johannes Ockeghem. For at least nine years, from 1545 to 1554, he held the post of maître de chapelle at Nôtre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai; Nicolas Gombert, whose compositional influence is clearly evident in Manchicourt’s later works, was a canon of the Cathedral throughout Manchicourt’s tenure. On the death of the incumbent, Nicolas Payen, in 1559, Manchicourt was appointed maestro de capilla flamenca (master of the Flemish chapel) at the court of Philip II in Madrid, which post he held until his death five years later. He was succeeded in 1565 by Jean de Bonmarché, continuing an unbroken line of Flemish incumbents stretching back to Marbrianus de Orto in 1512.

The fact that Pierre Attaingnant, publisher of the French Royal Court, devoted his fourteenth and final volume of motets in 1539 entirely to Manchicourt's work (an honour he bestowed on no other, and emulated by Flemish publishers Susato and Phalèse in 1545 and 1554 respectively) bears testament to the composer's reputation in his day. Around the time of his death, Manchicourt's highly polyphonic style of composition rapidly went out of fashion — a fate shared with his contemporaries Gombert, Jacobus Clemens and Thomas Crecquillon — as the liturgical reforms of the Council of Trent took hold, marking the transition from the High Renaissance to the less florid Late-Renaissance style of Victoria and Palestrina.

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View the Wikipedia article on Pierre de Manchicourt.

List of choral works

Sacred works

Manchicourt’s sacred works appear in more than fifty printed collections and at least twenty hand-copied manuscripts, dating from 1532 through to the late 16th century. His surviving sacred output consists of nineteen masses, a mass section, a Magnificat, 71 motets and two chansons spirituelles. A further nine sacred works — polychoral psalm settings — are contained in a degraded manuscript in Zaragoza (E–Zvp Armario C-3, MS 14) whose contents are not documented.

Masses, mass section, Magnificat

Manchicourt’s surviving complete masses consist of eighteen settings of the Mass Ordinary and a setting of the Ordinary and Propers of the Mass for the Dead. Most of the former are parody masses, based either on his own motet (three settings) or on sacred or secular works by other Franco-Flemish composers (eleven settings). Two mass settings are based on unidentified models, and the remaining two use Gregorian chant as their basis (likewise the Missa de Requiem). As was common practice, the final Agnus Dei of many of the mass settings includes one or two additional voice parts: such cases are indicated by a number in parentheses.

Missa Ceste une dure departie 4vv — on Sermisy’s chanson Missa Congratulamini 4(6)vv — on an unidentified model Missa Cuidez vous que Dieu 5(6)vv — on Richafort’s chanson Missa De retourner 4vv — on an anon. chanson [in Attaingnant, RISM 1528/6] Missa Deus in adjutorium 4(5)vv — on Sermisy’s motet Missa de Domina Virgine Maria 5(6)vv — on Mass IV, IX as in Liber Usualis Missa Ego flos campi 4vv — on Le Heurteur’s motet? (see Note (1)) Missa Gris et tannet 4(5)vv — on Sermisy’s chanson Missa Nisi Dominus 4(5)vv — on L’Héritier’s motet

Missa Noe, noe 4(6)vv — on Mouton’s motet Missa Non conturbetur cor vestrum 4(5)vv — on his own (or Gosse’s?) motet Missa Povre cuer 4vv — on an anon. chanson [in Attaingnant, RISM 1528/4] Missa Quo abiit dilectus tuus 4(5)vv — on his own motet Missa Reges terrae I 4(5)vv [E-Mo 768, c.1545–55] — on Mouton’s motet Missa Reges terrae II 6vv [B-Bcx 27087, c.1549] — on his own motet Missa Se dire je losoie 4(5)vv — on Appenzeller's chanson (see Note (2)) Missa Surge et illuminare 4(5)vv — on an unidentified model Missa Veni Sancte Spiritus 6vv — on the Sequence for Pentecost

Missa de Requiem 5vv — using chant settings of the Ordinary and Propers of the Mass for the Dead (Parisian Rite) as a cantus firmus, similar to Richafort's Requiem Domine Deus 2vv — mass fragment published in a collection of 2vv works [Gardano, RISM 1543/19] that includes mass fragments from other composers Magnificat secundi toni 4(5)vv — alternating verses of polyphony and Tone II chant, published in a collection of Magnificat settings [Attaingnant, RISM 1534/7]

Notes:
(1) Despite Grove’s attribution, there appears to be no such motet by Guillaume Le Heurteur among his known works, nor any other surviving setting of Ego flos campi that predates the mass (the only surviving source dates from c.1545–55) and resembles its motifs.
(2) Although Grove states that Nicolas Gombert’s five-voice chanson of the same name is the model, the motifs in the mass more closely resemble Benedictus Appenzeller's four-voice setting: most notably, the opening phrase of the Kyrie — where direct quoting of the model is to be expected — is identical to the opening phrase of Appenzeller’s chanson. Thomas Crecquillon wrote a five-voice mass setting on the same Appenzeller chanson.

Latin sacred motets

The 71 sacred motets attributed to Manchicourt include one with doubtful attribution (^^), one with doubtful attribution to another composer (^), four with unresolved conflicting attribution (?), and two contrafacta of other Manchicourt motets (°).

Accessit ad Jesum 5vv (2.p. Respondens autem Jesus) Adorna thalamum tuum, Sion 4vv (2.p. Suscipiens Simeon Jesus) Audi, filia, et vide 5vv (2.p. Pro patribus tuis) Audivi vocem de caelo 6vv (2.p. Et vox de throno) Ave stella matutina 5vv (2.p. Tu es area compluta) Ave virgo Cecilia 4vv (2.p. Ave virgo prudens) Ave virgo gloriosa 4vv ° Ave virgo prudentissima 4vv (2.p. Quae est ista) — contrafactum of Ave virgo Cecilia Benedic anima mea 4vv (2.p. Miserator et misericors Dominus) Cantantibus organis 4vv (2.p. Caecilia virgo gloriosa) Caro mea vere est cibus 5vv (2.p. Hic est panis) Congratulamini mihi 5vv (2.p. Tulerunt Dominum) Congratulamini mihi 5vv (2.p. Et beatam me dicent) De profundis clamavi 5vv (2.p. Sustinuit anima mea) Dilectus meus descendit in hortum suum 4vv (2.p. Revertere dilecte mi) Domine Jesu Christe 4vv ? Domine, non secundum peccata 4vv (2.p. Quare memento) – attributed to Gombert in later sources Domine, peccavi 4vv Dulcis mater, dulci nato 6vv (2.p. Inclina, mater misericordiae) Ecce nos reliquimus omnia 5vv (2.p. Et omnis qui reliquerit) Ecce odor filii mei 4vv (2.p. Esto Dominus fratrum tuorum) Ego sum panis vivus 5vv (2.p. Caro enim mea) Emendemus in melius 5vv (2.p. Peccavimus cum patribus) Exaudiat te Dominus 5vv (2.p. Impleat Dominus) Fundata est domus Domini 5vv (2.p. Benedic Domine domum) Homo quidam fecit 6vv (2.p. Gaudeamus et exultemus) Illuminare, Jerusalem 6vv (2.p. Filii tui de longe venient) In omnibus requiem 5vv (2.p. Et radicavi in populo) Interrogabat magos Herodes 5vv (2.p. Et ecce stella) ^^ Ite in orbem 5vv (2.p. Signa eos) — attributed to Clemens in fifteen of sixteen sources Jubilate Deo adjutori meo 6vv (2.p. Si dormiero) Laudate Dominum 6vv (2.p. Plaudite ergo, omnes gentes) Laudem dicite Deo nostro 5vv (2.p. Laudate Dominum Deum) Lux de caelo adveniens 4vv (2.p. Te expectat chorus angelorum) Maria Magdalene 5vv (2.p. Cito euntes dicite discipulis) Media vita in morte sumus 4vv (2.p. Sancte Deus, sancte fortis)

Ne derelinquas me, Domine 4vv (2.p. Propterea confitebor tibi, Domine) Ne reminiscaris, Domine 4vv ? Non conturbetur cor vestrum 4vv (2.p. Ego rogabo Patrem meum) — attributed to Maître Gosse in earlier sources O bone Jesu, salvator mundi 4vv — ‘incertus autor’ in its original source O crux splendidior 5vv (2.p. Nobile lignum exalta) O crux viride lignum 5vv (2.p. Salus omnium populorum) O Emmanuel …Rex et legifer noster 4vv O intemerata 4vv (2.p. O virgo gloriosa) O Thoma didyme …per Christum meruisti tangere 5vv O Virgo Virginum …quomodo fiet istud 6vv Osculetur me 6vv (2.p. Trahe me post te) Paratum cor meum 4vv (2.p. Exaltare in virtute) Pater peccavi I 5vv (2.p. Quanti mercenarii) [Susato, 1546] ? Pater peccavi II 4vv (2.p. Quanti mercenarii) [Berg & Neuber, 1546] — attributed to Clemens in later sources Peccantem me quotidie 4vv (2.p. Commissa mea pavesco) Peccata mea, Domine 5vv (2.p. Quoniam iniquitatem) Proba me, Domine 4vv (2.p. Respice in me, Deus) Puer qui natus est 5vv (2.p. Hic praecursor dilectus) Quae est ista quae ascendit 6vv (2.p. Ista est speciosa) Quo abiit dilectus tuus 4vv (2.p. Qualis est dilectus tuus) Quousque Domine 5vv (2.p. Et ne negligas) Recordare, Domine, testamenti 5vv (2.p. Quiescat Domine ira tua) Reges terrae congregati sunt 6vv (2.p. Et venientes invenerunt) Regina caeli laetare 6vv (2.p. Resurrexit, sicut dixit) ^° Salva nos, Christe 8vv (2.p. Dulce lignum) — contrafactum of Vidi speciosam, attributed to Clemens Si bona suscepimus 5vv (2.p. Tribularer si nescirem) ? Super montem excelsum 4vv (2.p. Judaea et Jerusalem) — attributed to Clemens in a much later source Sustinuimus pacem 6vv (2.p. Nos alium deum nescimus) Tanto tempore vobiscum sum 5vv (2.p. Si cognovissetis me) Tota pulchra es, amica mea 6vv (2.p. Flores apparuerunt) Usquequo piger dormies 4vv (2.p. Vade ad formicam) Veniat dilectus meus 6vv (2.p. Qualis est dilectus tuus) Vere Dominus est in loco isto 5vv (2.p. Haec est domus Domini) Vias tuas Domine demonstra mihi 4vv (2.p. Eripe me de inimicis meis) Vidi speciosam 8vv (2.p. Quae est ista quae processit)

Chansons spirituelles

These two chansons are a French paraphrase of Psalm 130, and appear in one printed source as two parts of a single work:

Du fond de ma pensée 4vv En Dieu [je] me consolle 4vv

Summary of sacred works available at CPDL (listed automatically)

Accessit ad Jesum Audi, filia, et vide Audivi vocem de caelo Ave stella matutina Ave virgo Caecilia Ave virgo gloriosa Benedic anima mea Cantantibus organis Caro mea vere est cibus Congratulamini mihi — Et beatam me dicent Dilectus meus descendit in hortum suum Domine Jesu Christe Domine non secundum peccata nostra Du fond de ma pensee Dulcis mater, dulci nato Ego sum panis vivus Emendemus in melius En Dieu me consolle

Homo quidam fecit Illuminare, Jerusalem Jubilate Deo Laudate Dominum Maria Magdalene Media vita in morte sumus Missa de Requiem Missa Noe, noe Ne derelinquas me, Domine Ne reminiscaris Non conturbetur cor vestrum O bone Jesu O crux splendidior O Emmanuel O intemerata O Thoma didyme O Virgo Virginum Osculetur me

Pater peccavi (4vv) Pater peccavi (5vv) Peccantem me quotidie Proba me domine Quae est ista quae ascendit Quo abiit dilectus tuus Recordare, Domine, testamenti tui Reges terrae Regina caeli laetare Si bona suscepimus Sustinuimus pacem Tota pulchra es, amica mea Usquequo piger dormies Veniat dilectus meus Vias tuas Domine demonstra mihi Vidi speciosam

Secular works

Manchicourt's surviving secular output includes three dedicatory motets, and fifty French chansons that appear in at least sixteen publications (including one devoted entirely to Manchicourt's works).

Latin dedicatory motets

Nunc enim si centum 4vv (2.p. Ne dubitatis; 3.p. Innumeras unus) – in praise of Charles V Nil pace est melius 5vv (2.p. Vive igitur felix) – in celebration of a treaty restoring possessions to Duke Moritz of Saxony O decus, o patrie lux 5vv (2.p. Salve, pontificum) — in praise of Cardinal Granvelle, patron of the arts, to whom Manchicourt dedicated his 1554 volume of motets

Chansons

A Dieu celle qui t’ay servi 4vv Allons gay gaiement ma mignonne 6vv Amour cruel de sa nature 2vv Ayme qui vouldra 4vv Celle qui a facheulx mari 4vv D’amour me vient tout a rebours 4vv Deux cueurs voulans 2vv Dictes pourquoy vostre amitié s’efface 4vv Doulce mémoire 2vv Elle a mon cueur 4vv En espérant souvent espoir m’asseure 4vv Faulte d’argent 8vv Héllas amour puis que tu m’as attaint 4vv Jamais ung cueur qui d’amour est navré 4vv Jay veu le cerf du bois sallir 4vv Je changeray quoy qu’il m’en doibt advenir 4vv Je ne puys pas mon grand douel 2vv Je veulx tousiours obeir 2vv Jeune gallant qui d’envieulx effort 4vv L’homme qui est en ce monde présent 4vv L’oeul donne au cueur par son aspect adresse 4vv Las ne fauldra c’est chose toutte seure 4vv Las qu’on cognoist mon voloir sans le dire 4vv Loing de tes yeulx 4vv Long temps mon cueur languissoit 4vv

Mon bon vouloir 4vv Mon cueur voulut 2vv Mon seul espoir le plaisir de ma vie 4vv O cruaulté logée en grand beaulté 4vv O mille fois la liberté heureuse 4vv Par trop aymer ma dame 4vv Pauvre martyrs qui voz femmes guettes 4vv Petit Jacquet estoit en la cuisinne 4vv Pour parvenir a la fin désirée 4vv Pourquoy m’es tu tant ennemye 4vv Pren de bon cueur 4vv Prenez pitiez du grand mal 5vv Que puis je lors quant mon malheur 4vv Reposons nous entre nous amoureulx 4vv Si franchement declaires 4vv Si mon plaisir s’est tournée en desplaisir 4vv Si mon traveil vous peult donner plaisir 5vv Si pour aymer et désirer 4vv Sortes mes pleurs hastes vous de descendre 4vv Sy mon malheur 2vv Tout mon espoir, confort et jouyssance 4vv Ung diable blanc come le jour poindoit 4vv Ung doulx regard ung parler amoureulx 4vv Voyant souffrir celle qui me tourmente 4vv Voyez le jour et nuict tourne 4vv

Summary of secular works available at CPDL (listed automatically)

A Dieu celle Allons, allons gay Ayme qui vouldra Celle qui a facheux Damours me vient Ung diable blanc Dictes pourquoy Doulce mémoire Ung doulx regard Elle a mon cueur En esperant souvent Faulte d'argent Hellas amour

L'Homme qui est Jamais ung cueur Jay veu le cerf Je changeray Jeune gallant Las ne fauldra Las qu'on congnust Loeul donne au cueur Loing de tes yeulx Long temps mon cueur Mon bon vouloir Mon seul espoir O cruaulté

O mille fois Petit Jacquet Pour parvenir Pourquoy m'es tu Que puis ie lors Reposons nous Si franchement declaires Si mon plaisir Si mon traveil Si pour aymer Sortes mes pleurs Voyant souffrir celle Voyez le iour

 

Publications

Three of the pre-eminent publishers of the mid-16th century each devoted one of their volumes solely to Manchicourt’s works:

• Motettorum, Book 14 (Pierre Attaingnant, Paris, 1539, reprinted 1545) — contains thirteen 4vv, four 5vv and two 6vv motets
• Neufiesme livre des chansons a quatre parties (Tielman Susato, Antwerp, 1545) — contains twenty-eight 4vv and one 5vv chansons
• Cantionum sacrarum liber 5 (Pierre Phalèse, Leuven, 1554, reprinted 1558 and 1560) — contains nine 5vv and five 6vv motets

Two manuscripts that contain only Manchicourt’s works are held in the library of the Benedictine monastery in Montserrat, Catalunya:

• Montserrat, Biblioteca del Monestir, MS 768 ‘Douze messe musicales composees par M.P. de Manchicourt’ (Brussels, c.1545–55) — from the court of Mary of Hungary (daughter of Philip the Fair and Juana of Spain, and Regent of the Netherlands 1531–55); contains twelve of his nineteen masses
• Montserrat, Biblioteca del Monestir, MS 772 ‘Liber quatuor missarum musicalium nec non aliquot carminum ecclesiasticorum Petre de Manchicourt’ (Madrid, c.1560) — possibly copied by the composer himself during his tenure in the Court of Philip II; contains four masses, one 6vv motet, seven 5vv motets and three 4vv motets

Manchicourt's works also appear in the following 16th-century printed collections catalogued at CPDL:

• Motettorum, Book 7 (Attaingnant, 1534) — contains one each 4vv, 5vv and 6vv Magnificat antiphons for Advent
• Excellentiss. autorum liber primus quatuor vocum (Antonio Gardano, Venice, 1539, reprinted 1549) — contains one 4vv motet
• Sacrarum cantionum, liber 2 (Susato, 1546) — contains one 5vv motet
• Sacrarum cantionum, liber 3 (Susato, 1547) — contains two 4vv motets
• Sacrarum cantionum, liber 4 (Susato, 1547) — contains one 4vv motet
• Ecclesiasticarum cantionum quatuor vocum, liber 2 (Susato, 1553) — contains one 4vv motet
• Ecclesiasticarum cantionum quatuor vocum, liber 3 (Susato, 1553) — contains two 4vv motets
• Ecclesiasticarum cantionum quatuor vocum, liber 4 (Susato, 1554) — contains one 4vv motet
• Ecclesiasticarum cantionum quinque vocum, liber 5 (Susato, 1553) — contains three 5vv motets
• Ecclesiasticarum cantionum quinque vocum, liber 7 (Susato, 1553) — contains one 5vv motet
• Ecclesiasticarum cantionum quinque vocum, liber 9 (Susato, 1554) — contains one 5vv motet
• Cantionum sacrarum liber 1 (Phalèse, 1554, reprinted 1555) — contains one 5vv motet
• Cantionum sacrarum liber 2 (Phalèse, 1554, reprinted 1555) — contains one 6vv motet
• Cantionum sacrarum liber 3 (Phalèse, 1554) — contains one 5vv and two 6vv motets
• Cantionum sacrarum liber 4 (Phalèse, 1554, reprinted 1555 and 1557) — contains one 4vv motet
• Cantionum sacrarum liber 8 (Phalèse, 1555, reprinted 1556 and 1558) — contains one 5vv motet
• Sacrarum cantionum quinque et sex vocum, liber 1 (Hubert Waelrant & Jan de Laet, Antwerp, 1554) — contains one 5vv and one 6vv motet
• Tomus secundus psalmorum selectorum quatuor et plurimum vocum (Johann vom Berg & Ulrich Neuber, Nürnberg, 1553) — contains one 4vv motet
• Novum et insigne opus musicum … cantionum sex vocum (Berg & Neuber, 1558) — contains one 6vv motet
• Thesaurus musicus, tomi primi (Berg & Neuber, 1564) — contains his only 8vv motet (and its contrafactum dubiously attributed to Clemens)
• Second livre des chansons a quatre parties (Susato, 1544) — contains five 4vv chansons
• Quatrieme livre des chansons a quatre parties (Susato, 1544) — contains three 4vv chansons
• Sixiesme livre contenant XXXI chansons nouvelles a cinq et six parties (Susato, 1545) — contains his only 6vv chanson
• Treziesme livre contenant XXII chansons nouvelles a six et a huyt parties (Susato, 1550) — contains his only 8vv chanson
• Secundus tomus biciniorum … gallica, latina, germanica (Georg Rhau, Wittenberg, 1545) — contains all seven 2vv chansons
• Seysiesme livre contenant XXIX chansons … a quatre parties (Attaingnant, 1545) — contains one 4vv chanson
• Vingtiesme livre contenant XXVIII chansons … a quatre parties (Attaingnant, 1546) — contains two 4vv chansons

External links

Works by Pierre de Manchicourt in the Petrucci Music Library (IMSLP)