Composer. An important figure of French Renaissance music, noted for his many secular songs. Certon helped crystallize a typically French form of musical expression, marked by elegance, restraint, and a sober approach to lyrics. His best known song, "Deploration" (c. 1562), is a powerful but dignified lament on the death of his close friend, composer Claudin de Sermisy. Nothing certain is known of his background or education; the earliest record (1529) lists him as a teenage matins clerk at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The following year he was charged with irreverent behavior - playing ball in the cathedral square instead of attending Sunday services - and was spared a prison sentence because of his youth. Evidently his musical skills had already attracted attention, for by 1536 he was Choirmaster of the King's private chapel, La Sainte-Chapelle. He kept this prestigious post for the rest of his life, serving under Francis I, Henry II, Francis II, and Charles IX. Nearly all his considerable output was published during his lifetime. It includes eight Masses, a Magnificat, over 40 motets, and 285 songs. The finest of the latter appeared in the collection "Les meslanges" (1570). For his time Certon showed an unusual aptitude for large-scale forms and even his shortest pieces are impeccable in their structural logic. Although he produced no big "hits", his body of work had a considerable influence on French songwriting.
Composer. An important figure of French Renaissance music, noted for his many secular songs. Certon helped crystallize a typically French form of musical expression, marked by elegance, restraint, and a sober approach to lyrics. His best known song, "Deploration" (c. 1562), is a powerful but dignified lament on the death of his close friend, composer Claudin de Sermisy. Nothing certain is known of his background or education; the earliest record (1529) lists him as a teenage matins clerk at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The following year he was charged with irreverent behavior - playing ball in the cathedral square instead of attending Sunday services - and was spared a prison sentence because of his youth. Evidently his musical skills had already attracted attention, for by 1536 he was Choirmaster of the King's private chapel, La Sainte-Chapelle. He kept this prestigious post for the rest of his life, serving under Francis I, Henry II, Francis II, and Charles IX. Nearly all his considerable output was published during his lifetime. It includes eight Masses, a Magnificat, over 40 motets, and 285 songs. The finest of the latter appeared in the collection "Les meslanges" (1570). For his time Certon showed an unusual aptitude for large-scale forms and even his shortest pieces are impeccable in their structural logic. Although he produced no big "hits", his body of work had a considerable influence on French songwriting.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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