Boogers

Antoine Busnois (Busnoys) (c.1430-1492)

• One of the most prolific composers of the Fifteenth Century
• Leading figure of the late Burgundian School, after the death of Guillaume Dufay.

Early-Life

• Early life is hard to pinpoint. Most likely bon close to the small village of Busnes in the Netherlandish Region of France.
• Most likely received training from an ecclesiastical choir school in Northern or Central France.
• Some of his motets and chansons suggest that we worked closely with French aristocratic circles.
• 1465, moved to the collegiate church of St. Martin, where Johannes Ockeghem worked as treasurer.
• Quickly became leader of the boy’s choir and subdeacon.
• Later that same year, Busnoys proposed himself for the same job at a sister church in Pontiers at St. Hilaire le Grand. Quickly bringing with him many renown singers.
• Left Pontiers as quickly as he came. Arrived in Burgundy in 1466.

Burgundian Years

• Began composing right before the accession of Charles

• Motet entitled In hydraulis contains a dedication to Charles referring to him as Count.

• King Charles would only stay in power for ten years. He was known for his fiercness and reckless approach to the military.
• King Charles appreciated and rewarded Busnois for his works. Busnois was listed along with two other composers as “chanter et valet de chamber” to Charles in 1467.
• Worked in the Burgundian Courts for nearly four years before becoming an official member of the Burgundian Chapel Staff as a demi-chappellain in 1470.
• Busnois would remain as an employee of the Burgundian Court until 1482.
• Not much is known after this, at the time of his death he was employed in Bruges at St. Sauveur.

Works

• Immense reputation during his lifetime. Best known musician in Europe between Guillaume Dufay and Johannes Ockeghem.
• Wrote both secular and sacred music.

• Two cantus firmus Masses and eight motets have survived.
• Music can be seen as a midpoint between simplicity and homophonic to imitative counterpoint.

• May have been the composer of the famous L’homme arme, one of the most popular melodies of the Renaissance. While his mass using this theme is defintily the most influential. Inspiring Obrecht’s and Dufay’s.
• Busnois’ chansons are the works on which his reputation mainly rests.

• Most are rondeaus, with some being bergerettes.
• Believed to have written the words to each of his chansons

• Around 62 chansons survive, 14 motets and magnificats, 3 masses.
• Most are three voices, while a few contain four.

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