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• Barbireau, Jacques u. a.: 5 Secular Pieces

Barbireau, Jacques u. a.: 5 Secular Pieces

for 3 voices or instruments.

This publication contains almost all the surviving secular works of two relatively obscure fifteenth-century composers who seem in fact to have been confused with each other: Jacques Barbireau (c.1420-1491) of Antwerp, and the mysterious Barbingnant, about whom almost nothing is known. The complete edition of Barbireau´s works by Bernhard Meier (Corpus Musicae Mensurabilis 7) includes the works that are attributed to Barbingnant, treating the two musicians as one. The only piece that we have not included here is Barbireau´s famous Een vroylic wesen, which will be the subject of a later publication in this series. Incidentally, the song Au travail suis, which was attributed to Barbingnant in one source, is probably by Ockeghem (to be included in our forthcoming complete edition of Ockeghem´s songs).
Though obscure, both musicians produced at least one piece that was extremely well-known in their own time: Barbireau´s Een vroylic wesen and Barbingnant´s L´omme banni. Both composers fill an interesting stylistic niche: their music is a little more modem in general sound, more elaborate rhythmically, and more experimental in use of texture than that of Hayne van Ghizeghem, but less imitative than that of Busnois, to whom they are probably closest. However, our understanding of this music is seriously hampered by the lack of texts in many cases: for instance. the very simple top part in Scon lief could be some kind of popular tune, but without the text, we are in the dark.
The original note values have been halved throughout, which leaves a somewhat “white” appearance at times. Performers should not be misled by this into taking too slow a tempo. Editorial accidentals are printed small above the stave, applying to a single note only.