(d Paris , 23 Feb 1572). French composer. He was matins clerk at Notre Dame, Paris (1529), and clerk at the Sainte-Chapelle (1532), where in 1536 he was appointed master of the choristers. Of his eight complete masses, six use parody technique and two are paraphrases; like his motets they show a feeling for structure and form. With chansons by Lassus and Costeley, his Les meslanges (1570) helped transform chanson style into a largely homophonic texture, with richer harmonies and more frequent syncopations; he published 285.
Very little is known of the early life of sixteenth century French composer Pierre Certon. He may have been a pupil of composer Josquin Desprez, though there is little concrete evidence to support such an assertion; certainly Certon could not have been much more than 10 or 11 years old at the time of Josquin's death in 1521. Certon first figures into the factual historical record with an appointment as matins clerk at Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, in October 1529. Certon's headstrong nature seems to have caused something of a strain between himself and his superiors, and when he was indicted in 1530 for initiating sporting activities within the Cathedral courtyard (and for missing the holy service) only the pity of the administration saved the young musician from being thrown in prison.
In 1532 Certon relocated to the Sainte Chapelle, where he remained until his death 40 years later. Although hired as a clerk, from November 15, 1536, Certon was officially in charge of the choirboys as well; as the years went by he assumed further musical duties within the diocese without ever abandoning his primary role as master of choristers. Toward the end of his life he was awarded a number of titles, mostly honorary, which indicate the esteem in which he was held by Church and court, and in 1570 -- just two years before his death -- he became the third composer to earn the title "Composer of Music for the King's Chapel" (though the implications of this title are only partly understood).
In addition to his sacred duties, Certon participated in a number of secular musical activities throughout his life, and developed friendships and contacts with figures as diverse as composer Claudin de Sermisy (Certon's Déploration in memory of Sermisy, composed sometime after Sermisy's death in 1562, remains a powerful work) and the printer Hubert Jullet (of whose daughter Certon became the godfather).
From Certon's respectable output, eight masses, a magnificat, a wide array of motets, and almost 300 chansons survive. Six of the eight masses use the common sixteenth century technique of parody (the reworking of material from a pre-existing piece into a new musical structure), while the motets tend to combine canonic or ostinato use of cantus firmi with music paraphrased from various chansons. Certon's earliest chansons are composed in a rather melodically fragmented way, while towards the end of his life (and especially in the 1570 collection Les meslanges) a more homophonic texture involving as many as seven or eight voices begins to take shape. ~ Blair Johnston, All Music Guide
Pierre Certon (c1510-1520 – February 23, 1572) was a French composer of the Renaissance. He was a representative of the generation after Josquin and Mouton, and was influential in the late development of the French chanson.
Most likely he was born in Melun,[1] but he lived most of his life in Paris. The earliest records of his life date from 1527, where he was in the service of the king. In 1530 he was charged with playing ball at Notre Dame Cathedral as well as refusing to go to a service, both dangerous irreverences which almost cost him prison time—but he was young enough to be forgiven. From this event a birthdate between 1510 and 1520 can be inferred. In 1536 he became a master of choristers at the Sainte-Chapelle, and he remained at this post, with a few additional benefices, for the rest of his life.
Another post he held late in his life—concurrently with his activity in Paris—was as canon at the cathedral in Melun. He seems to have helped organize many grand entertainments, and doubtless composed many of his works for them. Most likely he was a close friend of the more famous composer Claudin de Sermisy, as evidenced by his dedications, notes, and the poignant lament he wrote for his death in 1562 which was closely modeled on the similar work by Josquin for the death of Johannes Ockeghem.
Music and influence
Certon wrote eight masses which survive, motets, psalm settings, "chansons spirituelles" (chansons with religious texts, related to the Italian "madrigali spirituali"), and numerous secular chansons. His style is relatively typical of mid-century composers, except that he was unusually attentive to large-scale form, for example framing longer masses (such as his Requiem) with very simple movements, with the inner movements showing greater tension and complexity. In addition he was skilled at varying texture between homophonic and polyphonic passages, and often changing the number and register of voices singing at any time.
His chanson settings were famous, and influential in assisting the transformation of the chanson from the previous light, dancelike, four-part texture to the late-century style of careful text setting, emotionalism, greater vocal range, and larger number of voices. Cross-influence with the contemporary Italian form of the madrigal was obvious, but chansons such as those by Certon retained a lightness and a rhythmic element characteristic of the French language itself.
Article "Pierre Certon," in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie. 20 vol. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1-56159-174-2
Harold Gleason and Warren Becker, Music in the Middle Ages and Renaissance (Music Literature Outlines Series I). Bloomington, Indiana. Frangipani Press, 1986. ISBN 0-89917-034-X
