Composer. An influential member of the Burgundian School of Renaissance music. Born in Lowaige, Flanders (now Belgium), he was ordained a priest in Liege in 1422. In 1431 he was employed as a Papal Singer in Rome, where he met composer Guillaume Dufay; his best known compositions, the motets "O flors fragrans" and "Te dignitas presularis", were probably written during this period. From 1434 to 1443 he served Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund and later Empress Elisabeth as Rector of the Royal Chapel, and in 1445 he settled permanently in Liege as a Canon of the Collegiate Church of St. Paul. Brassart developed several key elements of the Burgundian style. Most notable was his regular use of an opening duet for high voices, followed by the rest of the choir - a reversal of chant-based Medieval practice, which based the "cantus firmus" (main melody) in the lower voices. He was also among the first to include introits ("entrances") in polyphonic settings of the Mass Proper. No complete Mass by Brassart survives, but the 12 motets, nine Mass movements and eight introits that have come down to us amply justify the high reputation he had during his lifetime.
Composer. An influential member of the Burgundian School of Renaissance music. Born in Lowaige, Flanders (now Belgium), he was ordained a priest in Liege in 1422. In 1431 he was employed as a Papal Singer in Rome, where he met composer Guillaume Dufay; his best known compositions, the motets "O flors fragrans" and "Te dignitas presularis", were probably written during this period. From 1434 to 1443 he served Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund and later Empress Elisabeth as Rector of the Royal Chapel, and in 1445 he settled permanently in Liege as a Canon of the Collegiate Church of St. Paul. Brassart developed several key elements of the Burgundian style. Most notable was his regular use of an opening duet for high voices, followed by the rest of the choir - a reversal of chant-based Medieval practice, which based the "cantus firmus" (main melody) in the lower voices. He was also among the first to include introits ("entrances") in polyphonic settings of the Mass Proper. No complete Mass by Brassart survives, but the 12 motets, nine Mass movements and eight introits that have come down to us amply justify the high reputation he had during his lifetime.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
Advertisement
See more Brassart memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
