Egardus
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Egardus (; also Engardus or Johannes Echgaerd) was a European
Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
composer of '' ars subtilior''. Almost no information survives about his life, and only three of his works are known. A certain "Johannes Ecghaerd", who held
chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
cies in
Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...
and
Diksmuide (; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of proper and the former communes of Beerst, Esen, Kaaskerke, Keiem, Lampernisse, Leke, Nieuwkapelle, Oostkerke ...
, may be a possible match for Egardus. The extant works—a canon and two Glorias—appear to be less complex than music by mid-century composers, possibly because they date from either very early or very late in Egardus' career.


Identity and career

Little is known with certainty about his life. The enigma of his biography stems from a difficulty in knowing whether he was
Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...
or Italian. A northern origin is suggested by his name, a copy of one of his works in a Flemish manuscript, and a possible citation of his music by
Thomas Fabri Thomas Fabri (c. 1380 – c. 1420) was a composer from the Southern Netherlands (Flanders), who worked during the early 15th century. Biography Fabri was a student of Jean de Noyers alias Tapissier in Paris and of Johannes Ecghaert in B ...
. But with only one other exception, all of his works are found in Northern Italian manuscripts, and that exception, a Polish manuscript, has strong Italian connections. The most important biographical research on the composer was conducted by
Reinhard Strohm Professor Reinhard Strohm FBA (born 4 August 1942, Munich) is a German musicologist based largely in the United Kingdom, with an interest in 14th to 18th-century music. Strohm studied Musicology, Medieval Latin, and Romance Literatures, at the ...
, who notes that it was more common for Northern works (and composers) to travel to Italy than the opposite. Strohm identifies a "Magister Johannes Ecghaerd" appointed as
succentor The succentor ("under-singer") is the assistant to the precentor, typically in an ancient cathedral foundation, helping with the preparation and conduct of the liturgy including psalms, preces and responses. In English cathedrals today, the pri ...
of
St Donatian's Cathedral St. Donatian's Cathedral () was a Roman Catholic cathedral in Bruges, Belgium. Located on the Burg, one of the main squares in the city,Dunford and Lee, p.174.McDonald, p.14.McDonald, p.25. it was the largest church in Bruges. The cathedral was d ...
(''Sint-Donaaskathedraal'') in
Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...
in 1370 as a possible match for the composer. This appointment suggests to Strohm that Echgaerd would have been born by or before 1340. Strohm also finds connections to a work by
Thomas Fabri Thomas Fabri (c. 1380 – c. 1420) was a composer from the Southern Netherlands (Flanders), who worked during the early 15th century. Biography Fabri was a student of Jean de Noyers alias Tapissier in Paris and of Johannes Ecghaert in B ...
, a Dutch composer, in the text of ''Furnos reliquisti'', an unlikely coincidence if they were not working in close proximity to each other. Johannes Egardus held
chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
cies in
Diksmuide (; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of proper and the former communes of Beerst, Esen, Kaaskerke, Keiem, Lampernisse, Leke, Nieuwkapelle, Oostkerke ...
and Bruges.''Acta Capitularia Sint-Donaas'', Bisschoppelijk Archief Brugge, Reeks A no. 48: 26.3.1371; 21.5.1371; 22.5.1387; A no. 49 (1394-) f. 1r; cited in The number of his pieces in
Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...
n manuscripts suggested to Strohm that he may have been resident there.
Nino Pirrotta Nino Pirrotta (13 June 1908 in Palermo – 22 January 1998 in Palermo) was an Italian musicologist, pianist, music critic, and academic. As a musicologist, he achieved international renown for his scholarship of Italian music from the late med ...
had suggested that he may have been one of the musicians in the
papal court The papal household or pontifical household (usually not capitalized in the media and other nonofficial use, ), called until 1968 the Papal Court (''Aula Pontificia''), consists of dignitaries who assist the pope in carrying out particular ceremon ...
of
Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
c.1410. However, Pirrotta's evidence was based on the position of Egardus's works within the manuscript Mod A—a connection between manuscript and court now considered more tenuous, and not from the lists of singers in the Italian
papal The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...
chapels: lists from which Egardus is absent.


Music

Only three works by Egardus survive. A canon, ''Furnos reliquisti quare; Equum est et salutare'' is found in a single source, Mod A (Modena, Biblioteca Estense e Universitaria alpha.M.5.24). His other two works have a somewhat wider distribution. The
Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins ...
with the
trope Trope or tropes may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Trope (cinema), a cinematic convention for conveying a concept * Trope (literature), a figure of speech or common literary device * Trope (music), any of a variety of different things in medi ...
"Spiritus et Alme" appears in three sources,
Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...
, Universiteitsbibliotheek 1846 (''olim'' 37, independently discovered by Schmid and Strohm) and two sources from Padua, Biblioteca Universitaria: MSS Ba 2.2.a (formerly 1225, part of Pad D) and 1475 (part of Pad A). Both of the Paduan sources originally come from the Paduan
abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
of
Santa Giustina Santa Giustina is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Belluno in the Italian region of Veneto, located about northwest of Venice and about southwest of Belluno. Santa Giustina borders the following municipalities: Cesiomaggiore, L ...
. An untroped Gloria appears in five independent sources:
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, Biblioteka Narodowa, MS III.8054 (''olim'' Biblioteka Krasiński 52, commonly called Kras.) f. 204v-205r, Mod A f. 21v-22r, a collection of sources in
Grottaferrata Grottaferrata () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, situated on the lower slopes of the Alban Hills, southeast of Rome. It has grown up around the Abbey of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, founded in 1004. N ...
and at
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
(f. Dv-4r), Padua Ba 2.2.a (1225), f. 1v, and, recently identified, in
Udine Udine ( ; ; ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Carnic Alps. It is the capital of the Province of Udine, Regional decentralization entity ...
, Archivio di Stato framm. 22 recto (part of
Cividale Cividale del Friuli (, locally ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in the Province of Udine, Regional decentralization entity of Udine, part of the Northern Italy, North-Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The town lies above sea-level in th ...
A). In the Warsaw source, the work is labeled "Opus Egardi." In Mod A, "Egardus" is used. In no other source of this work is there an attribution. Strohm notes that Egardus's music is less complex than other mid-century composers, but this lack of complexity can either be attributed to an early date for its composition, contemporaneous with
Philippe de Vitry Philippe de Vitry (31 October 12919 June 1361) was a French composer-poet, bishop and Music theory, music theorist in the style of late medieval music. An accomplished, innovative, and influential composer, he was widely acknowledged as a le ...
, or a far later date, just prior to
Johannes Ciconia Johannes Ciconia ( – between 10 June and 13 July 1412) was an important Franco-Flemish composer and music theorist of trecento music during the late Medieval era. He was born in Liège, but worked most of his adult life in Italy, parti ...
).


Editions of music

Additional editions are listed in the critical notes of the ''Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century'' editions: * Fischer, Kurt von and F. Alberto Gallo, editors. ''Italian Sacred and Ceremonial Music,'' ''Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century'' 12 (Monaco:
Éditions de l'Oiseau-Lyre Éditions de l'Oiseau-Lyre (commonly referred to as L'Oiseau-Lyre) is a French music publishing company and a classical music record label that specialises in Early music, Early and Baroque music. It was founded in 1932 as a publisher of scholar ...
, 1976), p. 21 (untroped Gloria). * Fischer, Kurt von and F. Alberto Gallo, editors. ''Italian Sacred and Ceremonial Music,'' ''Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century'' 13 (Monaco:
Éditions de l'Oiseau-Lyre Éditions de l'Oiseau-Lyre (commonly referred to as L'Oiseau-Lyre) is a French music publishing company and a classical music record label that specialises in Early music, Early and Baroque music. It was founded in 1932 as a publisher of scholar ...
, 1987), p. 90 (Gloria, "Spiritus et Alme"), 214 (''Furnos reliquisti'').


References


Notes


Citations


Sources

* * * * * * *


Further reading

*


External links

* * {{Authority control Belgian male classical composers Flemish composers Musicians from Bruges Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Medieval male composers Ars subtilior composers