Philippe de Monte

2 Music and Inuence

Philippe de Monte (1521 4 July 1603), sometimes

known as Philippus de Monte, was a Flemish composer
of the late Renaissance.[1] He was a member of the 3rd
generation madrigalists[2] and wrote more madrigals than
any other composer of the time.[3] Sources cite him as being the best composer in the entire country, particularly
in the new manner and musica reservata.[4] Others compare his collections of music with that of other inuential
composers, such as Lassus.[5]

Monte was a hugely prolic composer,[17] and wrote both

sacred and secular music,[18] primarily printed in the German language.[19] He wrote about 40 masses and about
260 other sacred pieces, including motets and madrigali
spirituali (works diering only from madrigals in that
they have sacred texts).[20] He published over 1100 secular madrigals,[21] in 34 books, but not all of them
survived.[22] His rst publication was in 1554 when he
was 33.[23] Most of his publications, from then on, included self-written prefaces that were primarily utilized
to express his gratitude to patrons of nancial support.[24]

Life

Montes madrigals have been referred to as the rst and

most mature fruits of the compositions for ve voices.[25]
Stylistically, Montes madrigals vary from an early, very
progressive style with frequent use of chromaticism to express the text (though he was not quite as experimental in
this regard as Marenzio or Lassus), to a late style which
is much simplied, featuring short motifs and frequent
homophonic textures.[26] Some of his favorite poets of
the time included Petrarch, Bembo, and Sannazaro.[27]
Unlike Monteverdi, who began in a conservative style and
became experimental later in life, Montes compositional
career had an opposite curve, progressing from experimentation to unity and simplicity in his later works.[28]
Some believe that this comes from his change in poetry
selections,[29] whereas others believe it was a reection
from the imperial courts.[30]

Philippe de Monte was born in Mechelen. After boyhood

musical training at St. Rumbolds Cathedral in Mechelen,
where he was a choirboy, Monte went to Italy a common destination for a young Flemish composer in the sixteenth century where he made a name for himself as a
composer, singer, and teacher.[6] He lived and worked in
Naples for a while, and in Rome, in the employ of Cardinal Orsini, although he was in England for a brief period, 15541555, during the reign of Queen Mary I, while
she was married to King Philip II of Spain.[7] Monte reported that he disliked working in Philips choir since all
the other members were Spaniards.[8]

Though Monte was not likely to have been a supporter

of the Reformation, he took part in a variety of intel- Philippe de Monte was renowned all over Europe; edilectual exchanges on sensitive topics, some of which in- tions of his music were printed, reprinted, and widely
volved Italian academics.[9]
circulated.[31] He has been described as a quiet, unasIn 1568 Monte was appointed as successor to Jacobus suming man, gentle as a girl.[32] He had many stuVaet as Kapellmeister to the chapel of Maximilian II.[10] dents, including Gian Vincenzo Pinelli from Padua,[33]
A majority of his music was published in Venice under thereby passing on his compositional skills and experithe direction of Gardano, Montes exclusive publisher in ence to the generation who developed the early Baroque
Italy. He wanted to utilize Italian publishers in order style. Believed to be one of the most prominent comto stay close to the home of the madrigal.[11] He was posers, Philippe de Montes madrigals are still performed
successful at recruiting new musicians to the chapel, for today.[34]
Lassus himself noted the astonishing quality of musicmaking in Vienna just two years after Monte became
leader there.[12] During his rst ten years at the Imperial Court, Monte served as an active teacher.[13] Monte
worked for the remainder of his long life in Habsburg 3 Recordings
courts both in Vienna and, since 1583, Prague.[14] Even
though his accomplishments were many, he is not known
Alexander Utendal & Philippus de Monte, Motets,
to have held any positions as a church musician or in a
Capilla Flamenca and Oltremontano, 2002 (Pasnoble household.[15] Philippe de Monte died in Prague in
1603.[16]
sacaille 937).
1

Notes

[1] Lindell 2001, p.16.

[2] Brown 1999, p.205.
[3] Lindell 2001, p.18.
[4] Reese 1954, p.511.
[5] Bergquist 2005, p.108.
[6] Lindell 2001, p.16.
[7] Lindell 2001, p.16.
[8] Reese 1954, p.395.
[9] Bergquist 2005, p.108.
[10] Lindell 2001, p.16.
[11] Bergquist 2005, p.107.
[12] Lindell 2001, p.17.
[13] Mann 1983, p.7.
[14] Lindell 2001, p.18.

EXTERNAL LINKS

5 References
Bergquist, Peter. Philipp de Monte (1521-1603).
Music and Letters 86/1 (Fall 2005): 106-9. H.W.
Wilson Company. Database online. Wilson Web;
accessed 31 October 2007.
Brown, Howard M., and Louise K. Stein. Music in
the Renaissance, 2nd ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall,
1999.
Mann, Brian. The Secular Madrigals of Filippo
di Monte: 1521-1603. Michigan: UMI Research
Press, 1983.
Marshall, Melanie L. The Poetry of Montes
Madrigals. Early Music 34 no 2 (May 2006): 2923. H.W. Wilson Company. Database online. Wilson Web; accessed 31 October 2007.
Reese, Gustave. Music in the Renaissance: New
York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1954 (revised
1959).
Lindell, Robert. Philippe de Monte in The New
Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed.
Stanley Sadie, ed. London: Macmillan, 2001.

[15] Mann 1983, p.5.

[16] Reese 1954, p.395.
[17] Reese 1954, p.406.
[18] Philippe 2001, p.17.
[19] Reese 1954, p.702.
[20] Lindell 2001, p.17,18.
[21] Reese 1954, p.406.
[22] Lindell 2001, p.18.
[23] Lindell 2001, p.19.
[24] Bergquist 2005, p.106.
[25] Mann 1983, p.3.
[26] Lindell 2001, p.18,19.
[27] Reese 1954, p.406.
[28] Lindell 2001, p.18.
[29] Marshall 2006, p.292.
[30] Marshall 2006, p.293.
[31] Lindell 2001, p.20.
[32] Reese 1954, p.395.
[33] Bergquist 2005, p.108.
[34] Bergquist 2005, p.106.

6 External links
Media related to Philippe de Monte at Wikimedia
Commons
Free scores by Philippe de Monte in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
Free scores by Philippe de Monte at the
International Music Score Library Project

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