Guillaume Dufay

Born: 5 August 1397, Bersele (Belgium)
Died: 27 November 1474, Kamerijk/Cambrai (Belgium)

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Music

(contribution by Marie Ann Nicola <manclmta.ca>)

• Du Fay’s works are included in more then 70 15th century manuscripts incribed in all countries where polyphony was practiced.
• He wrote 7 complete masses, 28 individual Mass movements, 15 settings of chant used in Mass Propers, 3 Magnificants, 2 Benedicamus Domino settings, 15 antiphon settings (6 are Marian antiphons), 27 hymns, 22 motets (13 are isorythmic), 87 chansons and chansonlike secular pieces.
• Some of Du Fay’s work has been lost such as:
  • Missa St Antonii Viennensis (although the Missa St Antonii in Trent Codex 90 may very well be by Du Fay
  • Missa de Requiem
• Du Fay wrote mostly secular music mostly written while he was associated with a court or while in Italy.
• Few of the songs are in Italian
• Most are in French since French was te only language which accorded international prestige
• Du Fay’s setting of the first stroph of Petrarch’s Vergine Bella is the earliest known musical setting of a portion of the poem, for which many others have written music for.
• Early works are ballads
• Later works are Virelais
• Most chansons are rondeaux, on subjects similar to those used by the Trouvères
• Most early works are treble dominated therefore indicating they were clearly meant for a voice.

Biography

Alejandro Enrique Planchart <ockeghemgte.net> writes:

Du Fay was born in Bersele (now Beersel-les-Bruxelles), 5 August 1397. His mother was Marie du Fayt his father an unnamed priest. He changed his name from Du Fayt to Du Fay probably in the 1420s in Italy.

(contribution by Marie Ann Nicola <manclmta.ca>)

Stolba (University Text Book: The Development of Western Music: A History (second edition) by K Marie Stolba) offers the following information on Guillaume Du Fay:

• Born near Cambrai, in Hainaut.
• Was a choir boy at Cambrai Cathedral of Notre Dame in 1409-12
• 1413-14 served as a clerk at the Cathedral of Notre Dame
  • In Cathedral records his name is spelled: "G. du Fay" &
  • On music manuscripts it was written as a notated Fa between "du" and "y" indicating his name was pronounced "Du Fah-ee"
• Was a part of a large retunue of Cardinal Pierre D’Ailly of Cambrai and attended sessions of the Council of Constance (1414-18) it was probably there that he met Carlo and Pandolfo Malatesta.
• 1420-1426 Du Fay served the Malatesta family in northern Italy
• Part of the time he resided in Bologna where he attended the University and obtained a baccalaureate degree in canon law
• May 1428 Du Fay acheived Priesthood
• Autumn 1428 to mid-1433 he sang in the papal choir of Matin V (r. 1417-31) and Eugene IV (r. 1431-47) at Rome
• 1434 was employed at the Savoy Court of Duke Amadeus VIII
• Served as -magister capellae- until June 1435
• Reentered the papal chapel of Eugene IV.
• 1438-39 worked at the court of Louis of Savoy
• Due to Councillor conflicts Cambrai lay within the Burgundian political jurisdiction. When Philip the Good confiscated the ecclesiastical benefices of persons favoring Felix, and each pope threatened those on the other side from himself with excommunication, Du Fay was forced to make a decision. For years he held benefices with numerous Eurpean churches, including Cambrai Cathedral, to continue receiving stipends from Cambrai and St Donatien, he could not remain at the court of Savoy. Therefore he resigned at the court, relinquished his benefices at Versoix and Lausanne and remained with Cambrai.
• 1449 Felix was abdicated and reconciled with Pope Nicholas V (r 1447-55), Du Fay returned to Savoy.
• Spent nine months at Savoy in 1450 then through years 1452-58 there.
• Court records indicate that in 1455 he was Maitre de la chapelle.
• 1458 Du Fay returned to the Cathedral of Cambrai where he worked until his death in in 1474.
• Liturgical works were requested (by Du Fay) to be performed at his funeral such as his Ave Regina celorum and Missa de requiem. He was interred in the Chapel of St. Etienne at Cambrai Cathedral.

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Links

• http://www.france.diplomatie.fr/culture/galerie_composit/dufay.html