Clément Janequin (c. 1485 – 1558) was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was one of the most famous composers of popular chansons of the entire Renaissance, and along with Claudin de Sermisy, was hugely influential in the development of the Parisian chanson, especially the programmatic type. The wide spread of his fame was made possible by the concurrent development of music printing.
Life Janequin was born in Châtellerault, near Poitiers, though no documents survive which establish any details of his early life or training. His career was highly unusual for his time, in that he never had a regular position with a cathedral or an aristocratic court. Instead he held a series of minor positions, often with important patronage. In 1505 he was employed as a clerk in Bordeaux, to Lancelot du Fau, who eventually became Bishop of Luçon; he retained this position until du Fau's death in 1523, at which time he took a position with the Bishop of Bordeaux. Around this time he became a priest, though his appointments were rarely lucrative; indeed he always complained about money.
After 1530 Janequin held a succession of posts in Anjou, beginning as a singing teacher to the choirboys at the cathedral at Auch, and progressing to maître de chapelle at the singing school at Angers Cathedral. Around this time he attracted the attention of Jean de Guise, the patron of Erasmus, Clément Marot, and Rabelais; it was a welcome career boost, and, in 1548, with the additional assistance of Charles de Ronsard (the brother of poet Pierre de Ronsard), he became curate at Unverre, not far from Chartres. During this time he lived in Paris. By 1555 he was listed as a "singer ordinary" of the king's chapel, and shortly thereafter became "composer ordinary" to the king: only one composer (Sandrin, also known as Pierre Regnault) had previously had this title. In his will, dated January 1558, he left a small estate to charity, and he complained again of age and poverty in a dedication to a work published posthumously in 1559. He died in Paris.
Music and influence Few composers of the Renaissance were more popular in their lifetimes than Janequin. His chansons were well-loved and widely sung. The Paris printer Pierre Attaingnant printed five volumes with his chansons. La bataille, which vividly depicts the sounds and activity of a battle, is a perennial favorite of a cappella singing groups even in the present day.
Janequin wrote very little liturgical music: only two masses and a single motet are attributed to him, though more may have been lost. His 250 secular chansons and his (over 80) psalm settings and chansons spirituelles — the French equivalent of the Italian madrigale spirituale — were his primary legacy.
The programmatic chansons for which Janequin is famous were long, sectional pieces, and usually cleverly imitated natural or man-made sounds. Le chant des oiseaux imitates bird-calls; La chasse the sounds of a hunt; and La bataille (Escoutez tous gentilz), probably the most famous, and almost certainly written to celebrate the French victory over the Swiss Confederates at the Battle of Marignano in 1515, imitates battle noises, including trumpet calls, cannon fire and the cries of the wounded. Onomatopoeic effects such as these became commonplace in later 16th century music, and carried over into the Baroque era; indeed "battle music" was to become a cliché, but it first came into prominence with Janequin.
In addition to the programmatic chansons for which he is most famous, he also wrote short and refined compositions more in the style of Claudin de Sermisy. For these he set texts by some of the prominent poets of the time, including Clément Marot. Late in his life, he wrote the Psalm settings based on Genevan tunes. Since there is no documentary evidence, the question of whether he sympathized with the Protestants remains unanswered.
French composer Jehan Alain composed, as a tribute, a set of variations for organ on a theme attributed to Janequin (Variations sur un thème de Clément Janequin, 1937); although later scholarship has identified that particular piece as being an anonymous love song from a 1529 collection by Pierre Attaignant.
List of works
Manuscripts 2 chansons in ms. 125-123, Bibliothèque Municipale, Cambrai, France 3 chansons in ms. 204; 1508; 1516, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich, Germany La Bataille in the archives of Puebla Cathedral, Puebla, Mexico A chanson in ms. 74 H. 7, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague, Netherlands 3 chansons in ms. Ashb. 1058 Biblioteca Laurenziana, Florence (The part of the tenor is in ms. Cons. Rés. 255, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris) 5 chansons in ms. Bourdeney-Pasche, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, vers 1605 2 chansons in Ms. A. R. 940/41, Proske-Bibliothek, Regensburg, Germany
Historical publications
c. 1528 Chansons de maistre C. Janequin nouvellement et correctement imprimeez. Attaingnant, Paris sd. [c.1528] [Chant des oiseaux, La Guerre, La Chasse, L'alouette, Las povre cœur] A chanson à quatre voix in "6 Gaillardes et six Pavanes avec 13 chansons" Attaingnant, Paris s.d., [c. 1528] A chanson in "34 chansons". Attaingnant, Paris c. 1528 A chanson in "37 chansons". Attaingnant, Paris d.d. [c. 1528] A chanson in "chansons nouvelles en musique". Attaingnant, Paris 1528 1529 5 chansons in "31 chansons". Attaingnant, Paris 1529 2 chansons in "34 chansons". Attaingnant, Paris 1529 1530 A chanson in "29 chansons". Attaingnant, Paris 1530 A chanson in "36 chansons" Attaingnant, Paris 1530 1531 La Bataille in "Canzoni frottole et capitoli da diversi", V. Dorich, Rome 1531 A chanson in "25 chansons". Attaingnant, Paris, February 1531 1533 Vingt et quatre chansons musicales ... composées par maistre Cl. Janequin. Attaingnant, Paris, after 1533 1534 4 chansons in "28 chansons". Attaingnant, Paris, October 1534 7 chansons in "28 chansons". Attaingnant, Paris, March 1534 1535 A chansons in "Del secondo libro delle canzoni franzese". O. Scotto, Venice s.d. (c. 1535) 4 chansons in "Livre 1er contenant 29 chansons". Attaingnant, Paris 1535 1536 13 chansons (3 anonymous) in "Tiers livre contenant XXXI chansons musicales ... composeez par Jennequin et Passereau". Attaingnant, Paris, May 1536 A chanson in "Second livre contenant 25 chansons". Attaingnant, Paris 1536 A chanson in "Second livre contenant 31 chansons...". Attaingnant, Paris 1536 1537 Les chansons de la Guerre, la chasse, le chant des oyseaux, l'alouette, le rossignol composees par maistre Clement Jennequin. Attaingnant, Paris, May 1537 A chanson in "Second livre contenant 30 chansons vieilles esleues". Attaingnant, Paris 1537* A chanson in "Tiers livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1537 1538 Congregati sunt, motet à quatre voix in "Liber cantus triginta novem motetos", J. de Buglhat, Ferrara 1538 2 chansons in "Second livre contenant 26 chansons". Attaingnant, Paris, 1538; 1540 (second edition) 10 chansons in "Venticinque canzoni francesi a 4 di C. Janequin e di altri ... Lib. I". Gardane, Venice 1538 A chanson in "Le Parangon des chansons Second livre". Jacques Moderne, Paris 1538 : 1540 (second édition) A chanson in "Le Parangon des chansons Tiers livre". Jacques Moderne, Paris 1538; 1543 (second édition) 1539 A chanson in "6e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1539 1540 (before 1540), Missa super La Bataille à 4 voix in "Liber decem missarum", Lyon undated; Jacques Moderne 1540 (second édition); ms. 1550, National bibliothek Vienna; "Nach-druck f. A. v. Ysenburg, Graf zu Büdingen" without place of production 1560 8e livre contenant XIX chansons nouvelles ... de la facture et composition de maistre Cl. Jennequin. Attaingnant, Paris 1540 4 chansons in "5e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1540 5 chansons in "Le parangon des chansons 7e livre. Jacques Moderne, Paris, 1540 A chanson in "Le Parangon des chansons 6e livre". Jacques Moderne, Paris 1540 A chanson in "Le Parangon des chansons 5e livre". Jacques Moderne, Paris, undated 1541 30 chansons in Di Festa libro primo de madrigali a tre voci [...] Aggiuntovi simil-mente trenta canzoni francese di Janequin. A. Gardane, Venice 1541; 1543 [with annotations] A chanson in "Le Parangon des chansons 9e livre" Jacques Moderne, Paris 1540 1543 2 chansons in "14e livre". Attaingnant Paris, 1543 8 chansons in "13e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1543 A chanson in "12e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1543 1544 4 chansons in "15e livre". Attaingnant Paris 1544 A chanson in "Le difficile des chansons Second livre". Jacques Moderne, Paris 1544 1545 2 chansons in "22e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1545 2 chansons in "16e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1545 2 chansons in "18e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1545 6 chansons in "17e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1545 Clément Janequin ... Libro primo. Gardane, Venezia 1545 [La Bataille, l'Alouette, les Cris de Paris, le Chant des oiseaux, le Rossignol]; reprinted in "Le premier livre de Clement Janequin". H. Scotto, Venice 1550 Le 10e livre contenant la Bataille a 4 de C. Janequin avecq la 5e partie de Ph. Verdelot si placet. Tielman Susato, Antwerp 1545 1547 7 chansons in "23e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1547 5 chansons in "25e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1547 4 chansons in "24e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1547 1548 A chanson in "26e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1548 8 chansons in "Secondo libro di canzoni francese à quatre voix del divino et eccellente musico Clement Janequin et altri autori". Gardane, Venezia 1548; Scotto, Venice (second édition); Gardane Venice 1560 (third édition) 1549 6 chansons in "30e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1549 31e livre contenant XXX chansons nouvelles ... de la facture et composition de maistre Cl. Jennequin. Attaingnant, Paris, May 1549 5 chansons in "33e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1549 3 chansons in "Second livre". Nicolas Du Chemin, Paris, 1549 1er livre contenant 28 Pseaulmes de David traduictz ... par M. Cl. Marot. Du Chemin, Paris 1549 (1 édition comprising 2 volumes and 1 édition comprising 4 volumes) 2 chansons in "1er livre contenant 25 chansons". Nicolas Du Chemin, Paris 1549 A chanson in "Tiers livre". Nicolas Du Chemin, Paris 1549 A chanson in "34e livre". Attaingnant, Paris 1549 A chanson in "Quart livre", Nicolas Du Chemin, Paris 1549 1550 4 chansons in "8e livre". Nicolas Du Chemin, Paris 2 chansons in "9e livre". Nicolas Du Chemin, Paris 1551 4 chansons in "7e livre". Nicolas Du Chemin, Paris 1550 7 chansons in "6e livre". Nicolas Du Chemin, Paris 6 chansons in "5e livre". Nicolas Du Chemin, Paris 1550 1552 2 chansons à trois voix in "La Fleur de chansons et 6e livre". Susato, Antwerp undated 7 chansons à trois voix in "La Fleur de chansons et 5e livre à trois parties". Susato, Antwerp 1552 5 chansons in "10e livre", Nicolas Du Chemin, Paris 1552; 1554 (second édition) 3 chansons in "Les Amours de P. de Ronsard". Veuve de La Porte, Paris 1552; 1553 (second édition) A chanson in "Tiers livre des chansons". Phalèse, Leuven 1552 1554 3 chansons in "11e livre", 1554 Missa super L'Aveuglé dieu à 4 voix in "Missae duodecim cum 4 voci", Du Chemin, Paris 1554 1555 Second livre des inventions musicales de M. Cl. Janequin. Contenant le chant des oyseaux, le chant de l'alouette, le chant du rossignol, la prise de Boulongne, la réduction de Boulongne, la meusnière de Vernon, Un jour voyant, Herbes et fleurs le tout à quatre parties nouvellement reveu. Nicolas Du Chemin, Paris August 1555 Le caquet des femmes à 5 parties [...] nouvellement reveu et corrigé. Nicolas Du Chemin, Paris 1555 1er livre des inventions musicales de M. Cl. Janequin. Contenant la Guerre, la Bataille de Metz, la Jalouzie. Le tout à 5 parties nouvellement reveu, corrigé. Nicolas Du Chemin, Paris, July 1555 La Vénerie autrement dit la chasse [...] à 4 et à 7 parties, nouvellement reveue et corrigée par luy. Nicolas Du Chemin, Paris, September 1555