Cipriano de Rore (sometimes spelled Cypriano) was born in 1515 or 1516 and died between September 11 and 20, 1565. He was a Franco-Flemish composer from the Renaissance period who worked in Italy. He was an important figure among the composers who followed Josquin des Prez and moved to Italy. Rore was one of the most well-known composers of madrigals in the middle of the 16th century. His music used complex techniques and strong emotions, which greatly influenced the development of secular music.

Life

Little is known about Rore's early life. His likely birth years (1515 or 1516) are known because he was 49 when he died, as recorded on his tombstone in Parma Cathedral. His probable birthplace was a small town in Flanders called Ronse (Renaix), located near the border between French- and Dutch-speaking areas. Research shows his parents were Celestinus Rore (who died before 1564) and Barbara Van Coppenolle, and he had at least two siblings, Franciscus and Celestinus. The family lived in Ronse since at least 1400, and their family crest appeared on his personal seal and his tombstone in Parma Cathedral.

It is unknown where Rore received his musical training. A phrase in a 1559 madrigal dedicated to Margaret of Parma, the illegitimate daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, suggests he may have traveled with her to Naples in 1533 before she married into the Medici family. Margaret was born in a town near Rore's birthplace. Before this possible trip, Rore may have received early music lessons in Antwerp. Many talented singers from the Netherlands went to Italy as children or teenagers, often after being noticed by visiting nobility, such as Orlande de Lassus and Giaches de Wert. When Margaret married Alessandro de' Medici in 1536, Rore may have started his own path, but he likely studied music in Italy during his time with Margaret.

It has long been claimed that Rore studied in Venice with Adrian Willaert and worked as a singer at San Marco, but no specific records confirm these events. Some materials from his publications in Venice refer to him as a "disciple" or "follower," but not as a student. However, he was closely connected with Willaert and his associates throughout his career and visited Venice at least once before 1542. Starting in 1542, records of Rore's movements become clearer. A letter dated 3 November 1542 shows he was in Brescia, where he stayed until 16 April 1545. During this time, he began gaining recognition as a composer, publishing his first book of madrigals in 1542 and two books of motets in 1544 and 1545. Reprints of these works two years later by Scotto and Gardane showed their popularity. Their technical skill and style, similar to Willaert's, suggest he may have been connected to Venice early in his career.

Rore then moved to Ferrara, where records show he became maestro di cappella (choirmaster) on 6 May 1546. This marked the start of a very productive period in his life. While working for Duke Ercole II d'Este, he composed masses, motets, chansons, and madrigals, some of which addressed court matters. In 1556, the duke awarded Rore a special position for his outstanding service. During his time in Ferrara, Rore also strengthened his connections with the court of Albrecht V of Bavaria in Munich, sending them music and having 26 motets copied into an illustrated manuscript with small pictures by Hans Muelich. In 1558, Rore requested leave from his job in Ferrara to return home to care for his sick parents. He stopped in Munich on his way, arriving on 1 May, where he helped prepare the motet manuscript and posed for the Muelich portrait. A document from September 1558 places him in Flanders, where he assisted his sister-in-law with estate matters after his brother, Celestinus, died. By December, he had returned to Ferrara.

In July 1559, Rore left his position in Ferrara again, possibly because the new Duke, Alfonso II d'Este, preferred Francesco dalla Viola, a member of an old Ferrara family, over Rore. He returned to his homeland once more, this time not returning to the Este court. Conditions in his homeland had worsened due to the damage caused by the Wars of Independence, and when Rore arrived in autumn 1559, he found his hometown, Ronse, destroyed. Unable to return to his job in Ferrara, he joined the House of Farnese again, stayed briefly in Antwerp, and returned to Italy in 1560, this time to Parma. Unhappy in Parma, which was not as culturally rich as Ferrara or Venice, he left in 1563 and briefly took the prestigious position of maestro di cappella at St. Mark's in Venice after Willaert's death. He held this post until 1564, when he returned to Parma, citing disorder in the chapel and low pay as his reasons for leaving Venice.

Rore died in Parma the next year at age 49, with unknown causes, and was buried in the cathedral there. His nephew, Lodovico Rore, built his tombstone, including an epitaph that promised his name would not be forgotten, even in the distant future.

Music and influence

Rore was one of the most important composers of the mid-16th century, especially because of the madrigals he wrote and shared. His book from 1542 was a major event at the time. It set a new standard by using five voices instead of four and combined the complex musical style of Netherlandish motets with Italian secular music. This created a serious tone that became a key trend in madrigal writing until the 17th century. Many developments in madrigal music later in the century can be traced back to ideas Rore introduced. According to Alfred Einstein, Rore’s only true musical follower was Claudio Monteverdi, another important composer. However, in his sacred music, Rore used older styles connected to his Netherlandish background, such as in his masses, which resemble the work of Josquin des Prez.

Rore is known to have written 107 madrigals, 16 secular Latin compositions, at least seven chansons, 53 motets (with 51 surviving), a Passion based on Saint John’s account, five mass settings, several Magnificats, and other works. Though best known for his Italian madrigals, Rore also composed many sacred pieces, including masses and motets. He started with the style of Josquin des Prez and built on many of his techniques. Rore’s first three masses were a response to his musical heritage and Josquin’s influence. In addition to five masses, he wrote about 80 motets, many psalms, secular motets, and a version of the St. John Passion.

Rore became famous for his madrigals, such as the well-known “Ancor che col partire.” He was one of the most influential madrigalists in the mid-16th century, publishing his madrigals mainly between 1542 and 1565. His early madrigals used clear diction, thick and continuous counterpoint, and frequent imitation, similar to the style of Willaert. These works were usually for four or five voices, with some for six or eight voices. Their tone was serious, unlike the lighter style of earlier composers like Arcadelt and Verdelot. Rore focused on serious themes, such as works by Petrarch and tragedies performed in Ferrara. He developed musical techniques to express the emotions of the texts he set, often ignoring the structure of the lines or rhyme.

Rore experimented with chromaticism, using ideas similar to those of his contemporary Nicola Vicentino. He used all the advanced polyphonic techniques of the mid-16th century, such as imitation and canonic methods, to highlight the text.

Rore influenced many important madrigalists of the late 16th century, including Monteverdi. Alfred Einstein wrote in The Italian Madrigal (1949) that Monteverdi was Rore’s true spiritual successor. Einstein also stated that Rore was central to the development of the Italian madrigal after 1550.

Rore also wrote secular Latin motets, a rare type of music in the mid-16th century. These motets, which were secular versions of a usually sacred form, were similar to sacred madrigals, which were sacred versions of secular music. His secular Latin motets were published throughout his career and sometimes included in madrigal collections, such as his posthumous Fifth Book for five voices (1566) and in a 1545 collection of motets for five voices.

Works

• I madrigali (Venice, 1542, five voices)
• Il primo libro de madregali cromatici (Venice, 1544, five voices; expanded version of the 1542 publication)
• Il secondo libro de madregali (Venice, 1544, five voices)
• Il terzo libro di madrigali (Venice, 1548, five voices)
• Musica … sopra le stanze del Petrarcha … libro terzo (Venice, 1548, five voices)
• Il primo libro de madrigali (Ferrara, 1550, five voices) (also includes chansons in French)
• Il quarto libro d'imadregali (Venice, five voices)
• Il secondo libro de madregali (Venice, 1557, four voices)
• Li madrigali libro quarto (Venice, 1562, five voices)
• Le vive fiamme de' vaghi e dilettevoli madrigali (Venice, 1565, four and five voices) (also includes secular Latin pieces)
• Il quinto libro de madrigali (1566, five voices) (also includes secular Latin pieces)
• Many additional works in collections, between 1547 and 1570

• Motectorum liber primus (Venice, 1544, five voices)
• Motetta (Venice, 1545, five voices)
• Il terzo libro di motetti (Venice, 1549, five voices)
• Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi secundum Joannem (Paris, 1557; two to six voices)
• Motetta (Venice, 1563, four voices)
• Sacrae cantiones (Venice, 1595; five to seven voices)

References and further reading

• Atlas, Allan W. Renaissance Music. New York: Norton, 1998. ISBN 0-393-97169-4
• Brown, Howard M. and Louise K. Stein. Music in the Renaissance, Second Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999.
• Einstein, Alfred. The Italian Madrigal. Three volumes. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1949. ISBN 0-691-09112-9
• Johnson, Alvin H. "Cipriano de Rore," in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie. 20 volumes. London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1-56159-174-2
• Owens, Jessie Ann. "Rore, Cipriano de," Grove Music Online, edited by L. Macy. (Accessed November 18, 2007). (Subscription access). Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine.
• Reese, Gustave. Music in the Renaissance. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1954. ISBN 0-393-09530-4