Nicolaes Craen

Nicolaes Craen (* before 1501; † April 1507 in 's-Hertogenbosch ) was a Franco-Flemish composer and singer of the Renaissance .

Life

The life and work of this composer have remained largely unknown to this day, with the exception of his last seven years. The music historian Edmond Vander Straeten stated in 1882 that Craen was born in 's-Hertogenbosch, and the musicologist René Vannes claimed in 1947 that the composer's father, Henri Craen, was from Mechlin . There is no archival evidence for any of these statements. Neither is the occasional claim that the composer was a citizen of Antwerp in 1503 . His application for the position of singing master at the Church of St. Donatian in Bruges has been proven for the first time on around May 10, 1501. However, the cathedral chapter of this church awarded this position to its competitor Antonius Divitis . Finally, on June 8, 1502, Craen was employed as the singing master of the “Illustere Broederschap” at the Church of Our Lady in 's-Hertogenbosch.

Antonius Divitis was however prematurely dismissed from his office at St. Donatian on March 20, 1504. Thereupon the canons in Bruges tried to win Craen as his successor, after he was now in high regard. But they did not succeed; Craen kept his post in 's-Hertogenbosch. He died there shortly after April 1, 1507.

meaning

The compositions of Nicolaes Craen found wide distribution through over 40 manuscripts; some of them have been printed by the publisher Ottaviano dei Petrucci . Many of his pieces have also been handed down as intabulations for lute and for organ , which indicates a considerable popularity of the works in question. His three-part motet “Ecce video” was particularly successful ; it is available in both the lute and organ transcription and has also been included in the Dodekachordon script by the Swiss musicologist Heinrich Glarean ( Basel 1547). The German music theorist Othmar Luscinius (1480-1537) has in his work seu Musurgia practice musicae ( Strasbourg 1536) praised Craens Song -Motette "Tota pulchra it" expressed.

Works

• “Ave Maria gratia plena” with four parts, also in organ tablature and anonymously handed down
• “My heart is sad for me” to three votes, Cren's authorship doubtful (only “Nicolaus” given), only in organ tablature
• “Ecce video” for three voices, both in lute and organ tablature and with the text “Osculetur me osculo oris sui” from the Song of Songs
• “Mins lefkins bruyn ooghen” for four parts, only in organ tablature
• “Salve Regina” to four voices
• “Sancta Trinitas” with four voices, Cren's authorship doubtful, also attributed to Costanzo Festa , Antoine de Févin , Josquin and Cristóbal de Morales , very likely by Févin; the piece also exists in a version with two additional parts by Arnold von Bruck
• "Si ascendero" for three voices, also in lute tablature and with the text "Diva Palestrina"
• “Tota pulchra es” for four voices, also in lute tablature

Literature (selection)

• Edmond Vander Straeten: La Musique aux Pays-Bas avant le XIXe siècle: documents inédits et annotés , Volume 6, Brussels 1882, pages 90-94
• AC de Schrevel: Histoire du séminaire de Bruges , Volume 2, Bruges 1895, pages 183-184
• A. Smijers: De Illustre Lieve Vrouve Broederschap te 's-Hertogenbosch , in: Tijdschrift van de Vereniging voor nederlandse muziekgeschiedenis No. 14, 1932, pages 52-64
• René Vannes: Dictionnaire des musiciens (compositeurs) , Brussels [1947], page 94 (= Petits Dictionnaires des lettres et des arts en Belgique No. 4)

Web links

• Sheet music and audio files by Nicolaes Craen in the International Music Score Library Project

swell

1. ^ The Music in Past and Present (MGG), Person Part Volume 5, Bärenreiter Verlag Kassel and Basel 2001, ISBN 3-7618-1115-2
2. ^ The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie, MacMillan Publishers London 2001