Composer. An accomplished member of the Franco-Flemish School. Lupi's birthplace is unknown, but he trained as a choirboy at Cambrai Cathedral, Flanders (now in France). He became choirmaster there in 1527, following four years at the University of Louvain. Records show he was fired several times for sloppy bookeeping and failing to take charge of his young singers, but was always brought back; he finally resigned due to poor health in 1535. Whatever his shortcomings as an administrator, Lupi was highly esteemed by the Cambrai establishment. His dying wish, to be buried in the Cathedral crypt (even though he wasn't a priest or nobleman), was granted for his "outstanding services to music". A collection of his motets was published in 1542, setting the stage for his posthumous reputation. Lupi's early death robbed Renaissance music of a potential genius. His surviving works - 15 motets, three Masses and 26 songs - are of great technical skill, freely-composed and densely textured yet always clear and controlled in their interweaving vocal lines. There is a certain aloofness to his style, though towards the end he showed signs of broadening his emotional range, especially in the motets.
Composer. An accomplished member of the Franco-Flemish School. Lupi's birthplace is unknown, but he trained as a choirboy at Cambrai Cathedral, Flanders (now in France). He became choirmaster there in 1527, following four years at the University of Louvain. Records show he was fired several times for sloppy bookeeping and failing to take charge of his young singers, but was always brought back; he finally resigned due to poor health in 1535. Whatever his shortcomings as an administrator, Lupi was highly esteemed by the Cambrai establishment. His dying wish, to be buried in the Cathedral crypt (even though he wasn't a priest or nobleman), was granted for his "outstanding services to music". A collection of his motets was published in 1542, setting the stage for his posthumous reputation. Lupi's early death robbed Renaissance music of a potential genius. His surviving works - 15 motets, three Masses and 26 songs - are of great technical skill, freely-composed and densely textured yet always clear and controlled in their interweaving vocal lines. There is a certain aloofness to his style, though towards the end he showed signs of broadening his emotional range, especially in the motets.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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