Gilles Binchois
Gilles de Bins dit Binchois (also Binchoys; c. 1400 – 20 September 1460) was a Franco-Flemish composer of early Renaissance music. A central figure of the Burgundian School, Binchois and his colleague Guillaume Du Fay were deeply influenced by the contenance angloise style of John Dunstaple. His efforts in consolidating a 'Burgundian tradition' would be important for the formation of the Franco-Flemish School. One of the three most famous composers of the early 15th century, Binchois is often ranked behind Du Fay and Dunstable by contemporary scholars, but his works were still widely cited, emulated and used as source material after his death.[2]
Described by the musicologist Anthony Pryer as a "supreme miniaturist", he generally avoided large scale works, and is most admired for his shorter secular chansons.[3] Despite this, it is thought that considerably more of his sacred music survives than secular music, creating a 'paradoxical image' of the composer.[4] Reflecting on his style, the Encyclopædia Britannica comments that "Binchois cultivated the gently subtle rhythm, the suavely graceful melody, and the smooth treatment of dissonance of his English contemporaries".[5]
Life and career
Early life
The composer's full name is Gilles de Bins dit Binchois,
Nothing for certain is known about Binchois until 8 December 1419, when he is known to have been the organist at Ste Waudru in Mons.[9] It is possible that Gilles Binchois received an early musical education near the court of Mons, and like other composers of his time, he probably trained as a chorister in his youth, perhaps at St Germain.[10] An account from Jules Houdoy (1880) which refers to the chorister Jean de Binche at Cambrai Cathedral has often been misinterpreted as referring to Binchois.[11] There is no evidence that Binchois was a chorister at Cambrai in his youth.[11]
Records from 28 July 1423 indicates that he soon moved to Lille.[9] Around this time he may have been a soldier, as indicated by a line in the funeral motet Deploration for Binchois, composed in his memory by Johannes Ockeghem.[12][13] Binchois might have served under the Englishman William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, who was in France for the Hundred Years' War.[13] This association is evidenced by a 1426 document which records that the Duke of Suffolk commissioned the otherwise unknown rondel Ainsi que a la foiz m’y souvient from a 'Binchoiz'.[13]
Burgundian court
Sometime during the late 1420s Binchois joined the court chapel choir of Burgundy; the exact date is unknown due to chapel's lost employment records from 1419 to 1436.
Among the residents of the court was the painter
The Burgundian chapel choir was unique in allowing its members to become clergy without being ordained as a priest;
Final Soignies years
He eventually retired in Soignies by February 1453, receiving a substantial pension until his death, presumably for his long years of excellent service to the Burgundian court.[22] In 1452 he became provost of the collegiate church of St Vincent.[15] Around this time Soignies grew its reputation for musical excellence; Guillaume Malbecque and Johannes Regis were active there, while the contemporary writers Jacobus Lessabaeus and Lodovico Guicciardini praised the town's musical standard.[22] Binchois may have been involved in the well known 1454 Feast of the Pheasant in Lille, as the motet Lamentatio sanctae matris ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae was performed, which may be by Binchois, but is usually ascribed to Du Fay.[15] On 20 September 1460 Binchois died in Soignies; his will mentions otherwise unknown family members, including his brothers Andri de Binch and Ernoul de Binch.[22] Upon his death Ockeghem wrote a deploration, Mort, tu as navré de ton dart; its opening appears to quote an otherwise unknown chanson by Binchois.[12] Fallows has suggested that Du Fay composed the rondeau En triumphant in 1460 for his colleague's death,[19] since it seemingly references two songs by Binchois.[23][n 5]
Music
External audio | |
---|---|
Triste plaisir et douleureuse joye performed by the Sollazzo Ensemble | |
Triste plaisir et douleureuse joye |
The Encyclopædia Britannica remarks that "Binchois cultivated the gently subtle rhythm, the suavely graceful melody, and the smooth treatment of dissonance of his English contemporaries".[5] As a melodist in particular, Binchois is often considered among the finest of the 15th century;[5] Fallows argues that in this regard he had no contemporary equal.[27] As such, Binchois is best known for his lyric-driven secular French songs, known as chansons, which were widely transmitted and imitated by fellow composers.[5]
Most commentators agree that Binchois was not a progressive composer.
His tunes appeared in copies decades after his death, and were often used as sources for
Like Du Fay, Binchois was deeply influenced by the contenance angloise style of the English composer John Dunstaple.[34] The court of Philip had generally good relations with the English, and had established both diplomatic and cultural links with their northern neighbor; his court was open to English diplomats, businessmen and musicians.[35]
About half of his extant secular music is found in the manuscript Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Canon. misc. 213.[36]
Legacy
Modern musicologists generally hold Binchois, along with Du Fay and
The 20th century saw two major publications of music by Binchois: the musicologist Wolfgang Rehm edited a 1957 edition of his secular works, while a 1992 edition of his religious music was edited by Philip Kaye.[5]
References
Notes
- ^ This illustration is the only certain depiction of Binchois, and may not even be an accurate likeness.[1]
- ^ The composers dit name is usually spelled Binchois or Binchoys; however, early manuscripts trasmit a variety of alternative spellings. These include Binchis, Binchoy, Bincoys, Bynczoys, Bynzoys, Prachoys, Vinczois and Wintzois.[8]
- ^ There is no documentary evidence that Binchois was born in the town of Binche, a few miles from Mons, as is sometimes assumed.[9]
- ^ Fallows has noted that Du Fay's employer Jehan Hubert was associated with Binchois' father in numerous documents, suggesting that "there is therefore a possibility that the two composers knew one another from an early age.".[18]
- ^ Composers writing laments for fellow composers was a long-standing tradition in medieval and Renaissance music.[24][25] Other examples include F. Andrieu's Armes, amours/O flour des flours (1377) for Guillaume de Machaut, Josquin des Prez's Nymphes des bois (1497) for Ockeghem, and William Byrd's Ye Sacred Muses (1585) for Thomas Tallis.[26] See Rice (1999, p. 31) for a complete list of extant medieval and Renaissance laments.
Citations
- ^ a b c Fallows 2001, §2 "Portraits".
- ^ a b c d e Fallows 2001, § "Introduction".
- ^ Pryer 2011, § paras 4–5.
- ^ Kirkman & Slavin 2000, p. 1.
- ^ a b c d e Britannica 2021, § para. 3.
- ^ a b c Strohm 2005, p. 129.
- ^ Britannica 2021, § para. 1.
- ^ Korth 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g Fallows 2001, §1 "Life", para. 1.
- ^ Fallows 2001, §1 "Life", paras 1–2.
- ^ a b Fallows 2001, §1 "Life", para. 2.
- ^ a b Pryer 2011, § para. 5.
- ^ a b c Fallows 2001, §1 "Life", para. 3.
- ^ a b c d Fallows 2001, §1 "Life", para. 4.
- ^ a b c d Pryer 2011, § para. 2.
- ^ a b Britannica 2021, § para. 2.
- ^ a b Planchart 2004, § "Introduction".
- ^ a b c d Fallows 2001, §1 "Life", para. 6.
- ^ a b Planchart 2004, §1 "Life".
- ^ a b c d Fallows 2001, §1 "Life", para. 5.
- ^ Strohm 1985, p. 153.
- ^ a b c Fallows 2001, §1 "Life", para. 7.
- ^ Campbell 2005.
- ^ Reese 1940, p. 358.
- ^ Leach 2014, p. 304.
- ^ Rice 1999, p. 31.
- ^ Fallows 2001, §8 "Style".
- ^ a b c Slavin 1992, p. 342.
- ^ a b Strohm 2005, p. 182.
- ^ Pryer 2011, § para. 3.
- ^ Fallows 2001, §2 "Reputation and influence", para. 3.
- ^ Fallows 2001, §6 "Secular works", para. 1.
- ^ Fallows 2001, §6 "Secular works", para. 5.
- ^ Fallows 2001, §4 "Binchois and England".
- ^ Strohm 2005, p. 243.
- ^ Fallows 2001, § "Works".
- ^ Bent 1981, p. 9.
Sources
- Books
- ISBN 978-0-19-315225-0.
- Kirkman, Andrew; Slavin, Dennis, eds. (2000). Binchois Studies. Oxford: ISBN 978-0-19-816668-9.
- ISBN 978-1-5017-0486-4.
- ISBN 978-0-393-09750-4.
- ISBN 978-0-19-316418-5.
- ISBN 978-0-521-61934-9.
- Journal and encyclopedia articles
- Campbell, Gordon (2005) [2003]. "Binchois, Gilles de Bins". The Oxford Dictionary of the Renaissance. Oxford: ISBN 978-0-19-860175-3. (subscription required)
- ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membershiprequired)
- Korth, Hans-Otto (2016) [1999]. "Binchois, Gilles de Bins". MGG Online (in German). Kassel: Bärenreiter. (subscription required)
- ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membershiprequired)
- Pryer, Anthony (2011). "Binchois". In Latham, Alison (ed.). Binchois [Gilles de Bins]. ISBN 978-0-19-957903-7.
- Rice, Eric (1999). "Tradition and Imitation in Pierre Certon's Déploration for Claudin de Sermisy". Revue de Musicologie. 85 (1): 29–62. JSTOR 947006.
- Slavin, Dennis (Summer 1992). "Some Distinctive Features of Songs by Binchois: Cadential Voice Leading and the Articulation of Form". JSTOR 763654.
- "Binchois | Flemish composer". Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 16 September 2021.
Further reading
See Kirkman & Slavin (2000, pp. 331–342) and Fallows (2001, § "Bibliography") for extensive bibliographies
- JSTOR 926163.
- Dewitte, A. (1970). De geestelijkheid van de Brugse Lieve-Vrouwkerk in de 16e eeuw. Vol. 117. pp. 100–135.
- ISBN 0-393-09530-4.
- Schuler, Manfred (1976). "Neues zur Biographie von Gilles Binchois" [News on the Biography of Gilles Binchois]. JSTOR 930600.
- JSTOR 830766.
- ISBN 978-0-912024-25-7.