Mathieu Gascongne (first name also Matthieu or
Matthias; last name also Gascogne, Gascongus, Gascone,
Gasconia, and Guascogna; fl. early 16th century) was a
French composer of the Renaissance. Contemporaries,
such as Adrian Willaert (as quoted by the renowned
Venetian theorist Zarlino) grouped him with Josquin,
Ockeghem, and Jean Mouton as among the finest composers
of the time. Compared with those others, however,
little of his output has survived.
Little is known for certain about his...(+)
Mathieu Gascongne (first name also Matthieu or
Matthias; last name also Gascogne, Gascongus, Gascone,
Gasconia, and Guascogna; fl. early 16th century) was a
French composer of the Renaissance. Contemporaries,
such as Adrian Willaert (as quoted by the renowned
Venetian theorist Zarlino) grouped him with Josquin,
Ockeghem, and Jean Mouton as among the finest composers
of the time. Compared with those others, however,
little of his output has survived.
Little is known for certain about his life, and there
are two principal theories regarding where he lived and
worked. The first is that he was associated with the
French royal court, for he wrote several motets for
official occasions (such as the coronation of King
Francis I in 1515); this would have put him there at
the same time as Jean Mouton and just after Antoine de
Févin. In addition, one document describes him as a
priest of the Meaux diocese, and also associates him
with the cathedral in Tours; it also names him as a
singer in the royal chapel in 1517–1518. A second
theory is that he was associated with a group of
composers active at Cambrai, since his music appears in
manuscripts there. Possibly both theories are correct,
and he was active in Paris in the first decades of the
16th century, and at Cambrai later
Gascongne wrote masses, motets and chansons. Nine
masses have been attributed to him, but not all survive
complete. Of his motets, two are settings of the
Magnificat. The chansons were famous, and Gascongne has
been called the inventor, along with Antoine de Févin,
of the Parisian chanson rustique [1]. Adrian Willaert,
the founder of the Venetian school, also held Gascongne
in high regard, stating that he was on the level of
Josquin, Ockeghem, and his own teacher Jean Mouton.
Most of his sacred music is for four a cappella voices;
he uses as source material chansons by Pierre de la
Rue, Jean Mouton and Josquin des Prez. His chansons are
mostly for three voices, but there are numerous works
which are attributed to him in one source but to
another composer in other sources (Mouton is a common
competitor for attribution). Stylistically his music is
typical of French music of the early 16th century, with
smooth, balanced polyphony and pervasive imitation.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathieu_Gascongne).
Although originally composed for Chorus (SATB) I
created this interpretation of the Canzona (Caro mea)
for Wind Quartet (Oboe, English Horn, French Horn &
Bassoon).
PARTITION