Jean Mouton
Jean de Hollingue, known as Jean Mouton, was born around 1459 in the village of Haut-Wignes near Boulogne-sur-Mer. Records from his early life remain scarce for most Renaissance composers. He likely began working as a singer and teacher at the collegiate church in Saint Omer. By 1477 he moved to Nesle southeast of Amiens to serve as a chorister for six years. In 1483 he became maître de chapelle there while also becoming a priest. Sometime during this period he studied with Josquin des Prez.
Mouton entered the service of Queen Anne of Brittany after leaving Grenoble in 1502. He held positions in Grenoble again starting in 1509 but could hold them in absentia. For the rest of his life he worked for the French court in various capacities. He wrote music for state occasions including weddings coronations papal elections births and deaths. A motet named Christus vincit celebrated the election of Leo X as pope in 1513. Pope Leo rewarded him with the honorary title apostolic notary in 1515. This award occurred during a meeting between the French king and the pope in Bologna following the Battle of Marignano.
His style shares superficial similarities with Josquin des Prez through paired imitation and canonic techniques. Mouton tended toward rhythmically and texturally uniform music compared to his contemporary peers. All voices sang together with relatively little textural contrast throughout his compositions. Heinrich Glarean described his melodic style as flowing like a supple thread around 1517 or later. Around 1500 he became more aware of chords and harmonic feeling likely due to Italian music encounters. This period marked a transition from linear thinking where chords were incidental to music where harmony was foremost. Lighter Italian forms such as frottola featured homophonic texture and frankly diatonic harmony.
Mouton taught Adrian Willaert who became one of the founders of the Venetian School. His influence extended posthumously to the outstanding music theorist Gioseffo Zarlino. Zarlino referred to Mouton enthusiastically as his precettore in Dimostrationi harmoniche published in 1571. He remained a fine musical craftsman highly regarded by contemporaries and much in demand by royal patrons. Two joyful Christmas motets named Noe noe psallite noe and Quaeramus cum pastoribus attracted other composers even later in the 16th century. These works served as the basis for masses written by subsequent generations of musicians.
Ninety-five motets survive alongside fifteen masses and twenty chansons from his output. Nine Magnificat settings also remain preserved today. The survival rate is relatively high because he was a court composer whose work was widely distributed copied and archived. Publisher Ottaviano Petrucci printed an entire volume of Mouton's masses early in the history of music printing. Pierre Attaingnant also published his work. A motet named Nesciens mater stands as a tour de force of canon writing with eight voices proceeding two measures apart at an interval of the fifth. Other notable pieces include Exalta Regina Galliae celebrating French victory at Marignano and Non nobis Domine written for Princess Renée born the 25th of October 1510.
Heinrich Glarean met Mouton between 1517 and 1522 praising him effusively while stating everyone had copies of his music. Glarean used several examples of Mouton's music in his influential treatise Dodecachordon. He moved to Saint-Quentin near the end of his life becoming a canon at the collegiate church there. He died on the 30th of October 1522 and is buried in Saint-Quentin. His headstone engraving stated he was a singer of the king and canon of Therouanne and this church. Modern recordings include Heavenly Spheres CBC Records MVCD 1121 sung by Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal. The Gentlemen of St John's recorded Choral Works of Jean Mouton including Nesciens Mater which won second best Christmas track from Gramophone magazine in 2007.
Common questions
When was Jean Mouton born and where did he grow up?
Jean de Hollingue known as Jean Mouton was born around 1459 in the village of Haut-Wignes near Boulogne-sur-Mer. Records from his early life remain scarce for most Renaissance composers.
What positions did Jean Mouton hold at the French court after 1502?
Mouton entered the service of Queen Anne of Brittany after leaving Grenoble in 1502 and held positions in Grenoble again starting in 1509 but could hold them in absentia. For the rest of his life he worked for the French court in various capacities writing music for state occasions including weddings coronations papal elections births and deaths.
How does the musical style of Jean Mouton compare to Josquin des Prez?
His style shares superficial similarities with Josquin des Prez through paired imitation and canonic techniques while tending toward rhythmically and texturally uniform music compared to his contemporary peers. All voices sang together with relatively little textural contrast throughout his compositions until he became more aware of chords and harmonic feeling around 1500 likely due to Italian music encounters.
Which famous musicians studied or were influenced by Jean Mouton?
Mouton taught Adrian Willaert who became one of the founders of the Venetian School and his influence extended posthumously to the outstanding music theorist Gioseffo Zarlino. Zarlino referred to Mouton enthusiastically as his precettore in Dimostrationi harmoniche published in 1571.
What specific works by Jean Mouton survive today and how many are there?
Ninety-five motets survive alongside fifteen masses and twenty chansons from his output along with nine Magnificat settings that remain preserved today. A motet named Nesciens mater stands as a tour de force of canon writing with eight voices proceeding two measures apart at an interval of the fifth.
When did Jean Mouton die and where is he buried?
He moved to Saint-Quentin near the end of his life becoming a canon at the collegiate church there and died on the 30th of October 1522. He is buried in Saint-Quentin where his headstone engraving stated he was a singer of the king and canon of Therouanne and this church.