JANEQUIN, CLÉMENT

Renaissance composer who developed the polyphonic chanson; b. Châtellerault, France, c. 1480; d. Paris, c. 1560. During his productive career he lived in or near Bordeaux to c. 1531; Angers, to c. 1548; and Paris, from 1549; and at various times he held posts as curé, canon, and chaplain at Angers cathedral and the chapel of Francis of Guise. He also attended universities at Angers and Paris as an adult. He was a singer and choral director at Angers cathedral c. 1534, honorary singer to Francis I, 1531, and singer and official composer to Henry II from 1555. His musical works include two Masses, one motet, one motet-book (lost), one Italian madrigal, French psalms, spiritual songs, and some 286 surviving chansons of immense popularity (several quoted in fricassées ). Janequin is best known for his programmatic chansons with their lively syllabic declamation and onomatopoeia, but he excelled also in more lyrical types and occasionally experimented with chromaticism.

Bibliography: f. lesure and p. roudiÉ, "La Jeunesse bordelaise de Clément Janequin," Revue de musicologie 49 (Paris 1963) 172–183. f. lesure, Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, ed. f. blume (Kassel-Basel 1949–) 6:1695–1701. j. levron, Clément Janequin (Grenoble 1948). d. heartz, "Les Goûts réunis …," Chanson and Madrigal, 1480–1530, ed. j. haar (Cambridge, Mass.1964) 88–138. Histoire de la musique, ed. roland-manuel, v.1 (Paris 1960–63). g. reese, Music in the Renaissance (rev. ed. New York 1959). A complete edition of the chansons of Janequin is being prepared by t. merritt and f. lesure. h. brown, "Clément Janequin" New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 9, ed. s. sadie (New York 1980) 491–495. j.-p. ouvrard, "Du narratif dans la polyphonie au 16th siècle, Martin menoit son pourceau au marché : Clément Marot, Clément Janequin, Claudin de Sermisy," Analyse Musicale 9 (1987), 11–16. d. m. randel, ed., Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music 416 (Cambridge 1996). n. slonimsky, ed., Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 8th ed. (New York 1992) 842–843.

[i. cazeaux]

Janequin, Clément [ Clément Jannequin] (b Châtellerault, nr. Poitiers, c.1485; d Paris, 1558). Fr. composer. Choirmaster, Angers Cath. 1534–7. Comp. over 250 chansons, some of which were pubd. by Attaignant. Settled in Paris 1549, becoming compositeur du roi. Entered Paris Univ. as a student when over 70. Wrote two Masses based on two of his chansons. Introduced bird-song and other programmatic effects. His Le bataille de Marignan (1515) imitates sword-clashes, warriors' cries, and other sounds.