Pierre de la Rue

Pierre de La Rue stands alongside Josquin, Obrecht, Agricola, and Isaac among the leading composers of his era. Both the period in which he worked and the range together with the caliber of his output account for this standing. The forms he explored encompassed masses, mass movements, magnificats, lamentations, motets, and chansons. Across his professional life La Rue sang tenor at the cathedrals of Sienna and 's-Hertogenbosch before entering the Marian Brotherhood from 1492 to 1493 and then joining the Burgundian court as “Cantor Romanorum Regis,” or singer of the Roman king. He remained in that court’s employ until retiring in 1516. When composing masses, motets, chansons, and magnificats, La Rue maintained a steady approach to vocal resources. Favoring greater clarity, he often chose two voices, especially to offset ensembles of four, five, or six parts, although the majority of his works were scored for four voices. Imitation appears infrequently; whenever he employed it, every voice participated. Cantus firmus technique and canons supplied his primary structural tools. He further juxtaposed passages of homophony against denser polyphonic textures. Departing from Josquin’s practice, La Rue avoided allowing the music itself to project the text; instead he shaped the rate of rhythmic motion to underscore what the words already implied, leaving harmonies and melodic contours largely uninvolved in that task. Like his contemporary Josquin, La Rue exerted a decisive influence on the next generation of composers.