Henry Bredemers

Henry Bredemers
Henry Bredemers
Born	1472
Origin	Netherland
Died	May 20, 1522
Occupation(s)	Organist and Music teacher.

Antwerp's Cathedral of Our Lady, where Bredemers' career started

Henry (Henri, Hendrik) Bredemers (Bredeniers) (c. 1472 – May 20, 1522) was a South Netherlandish organist and music teacher. No compositions by him survive, and his historical importance lies chiefly in his activities as a teacher.

The first recorded reference to Bredemers is in a 1488 document which lists him as one of the singers of

Saint James' Church (Sint-Jacobskerk) of the same city, and in 1493 he occupied a similar position at the Confraternity of Our Lady at Our Lady's church. Bredemers must have attained a considerable reputation in the following years: by 1501 he was distinguished enough to enter the chapel of Philip the Handsome as organist.^[1]

The chapel, known then as Grande chapelle, was the main musical establishment of the Burgundian-Habsburg court, and one of the most important court chapels of the Renaissance: it had a long and illustrious history associated with composers of the

Guillaume Dufay. And at the time Bredemers joined it, members of the chapel included important composers such as Pierre de la Rue and Alexander Agricola. He was charged with performance duties as well as organisation of the chapel.^[2] Bredemers and other musicians of the chapel travelled with the court on multiple occasions: there were two voyages to Spain (in 1501–1503 and 1505–1506)^[1] and one to Heidelberg (in 1503). On the latter occasion Bredemers must have met Arnolt Schlick, court organist to the Electoral Palatinate.^[3]

When Philip died in 1506 at

Mary and Isabella) and organist of Charles' domestic chapel. He was also to instruct court entertainers and choirboys, as well as purchase and maintain instruments.^[1] Bredemers taught Charles and his sisters clavichord daily,^[2]

as well as other instruments.

Bredemers' influence was spread far by Philip's children. Isabella's lessons came to an end in 1514 when she married

Namur. However, he resigned this position after only a year, in April 1522. He died the following month.^[1]

No compositions by Bredemers are known, although two were mentioned by Fétis^[1] in his Biographie universelle in the second half of the 19th century. Bredemers' importance lies in the influence he must have exerted over European keyboard music during his voyages to Spain, England and Germany, as well as through his pupils.^[4]