Donald Macleod is joined by William Lyons to explore Guillaume Dufay's life and music.
The beauty, originality and technical mastery of Guillaume Dufay’s music illustrate why the Florentine ruler Piero de’Medici gave him the epithet “the greatest ornament of our age”. Undoubtedly he is one of the 15th century’s most distinctive voices. He was in his late 70s by the time he died in 1474; a long life by medieval standards. His outstanding talent transported him from an uncertain start in life as the illegitimate son of a servant and an unknown man, to being a musician who was feted at court, and respected by the church and the papacy alike. As his fame spread across Europe, he commanded the admiration of his fellow composers, influencing not only his direct contemporaries but also the generation of composers who succeeded him, among them Johannes Ockeghem.
Donald Macleod is joined by William Lyons, a historical music researcher and the founder of the ensemble The Dufay Collective. Pulling together what’s known about Dufay, across the episode, they build a picture of the man behind this illustrious reputation, examine the key relationships he fostered, and consider how his music flourished as he navigated the turbulent political currents of the age.
Music featured:
St. Anthony of Padua Mass
Ce jour de l’an
Quel fronte signorillo
C’est bien raison de devoir essaucier
Ave Regina caelorum
Missa Ave regina caelorum
Motet: Apostolo gloriosum
Seigneur Leon, vous soyés bienvenus
Missa Sancti Jacobi - Offertorium
Magnificat tertii et quarti toni
Missa Ecce ancilla Domini - Sanctus
Malheureulx cueur
Motet: Moribus et genere
Adieu ces bons vins de Lannoys
Missa Sine Nomine - Kyrie & Gloria
Ballade: Resvelliés-vous et faites chiere lye
Vasilissa ergo gaude
O Sancte Sebastiane
Missa Sancti Jacobi - Sanctus, Agnus Dei
Vergene Bella
La Belle se siet
Ballade: Se la face ay pale
Flos Florum
Ecclesiae militantis
Balsamus et munda cera
Supremum est mortalibus bonum
Ave Maris Stella
L’alta tua bellezza
Salve flos Tusce gentis
Ce moys de may
Bon jour, bon mois
Il sera par vous combatu
Missa L’homme armé - Kyrie
S’il est Plaisir
Je me complains
Par le regard
Ave regina caelorum II
Sanctus Ave verum corpus
Gaude virgo
Presented by Donald Macleod
Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales
For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Guillaume Dufay https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0007yz1
And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z
