Heinrich Isaac (around 1450 – March 26, 1517) was a composer from the Netherlands during the Renaissance period. He created masses, motets, songs in French, German, and Italian, and instrumental music. He was a contemporary of Josquin des Prez and helped shape the development of music in Germany. His name appeared in several forms, including Ysaac, Ysaak, Henricus, Arrigo d'Ugo, and Arrigo il Tedesco. The word "Tedesco" means "Flemish" or "German" in Italian.
Early life
Little is known about Isaac's early life, including the name he used for himself. It is likely that he was born in Brabant. During the late 15th century, music education in the region was of high quality, and he was probably educated there, though the exact location is unclear. A 16th-century Swiss writer named Heinrich Glarean claimed Isaac was from Germany by calling him "Henricus Isaac Germanus." However, in Isaac's will, he identified himself using a patronymic name, "Ugonis de Flandria," meaning "Hugo's son from Flanders." A writer in the Milanese Revista critica della letteratura italiana in June 1886 suggested that this name might be related to "Huygens" and found the name "Isaacke" recorded in the town archives of Bruges.
Career
Heinrich Isaac's career lasted more than thirty years and allowed him to travel far from his homeland of Flanders to Germany, Italy, Austria, and other parts of central Europe. Although there are not many written records about his life, the documents that exist, along with the music he wrote, help us understand how well-known this Franco-Flemish composer was during his time. Isaac likely began writing music in the 1470s. The first record mentioning his name dates to September 15, 1484, when he was in Innsbruck as a singer for Duke Sigismund of Austria, who belonged to the House of Habsburg. The next year, Isaac moved to Florence, as records show he became a singer at the church Santa Maria del Fiore by July 1485. By the middle of 1491, he was assigned to work as a singer at Santissima Annunziata, a position he held until 1493.
Documents show Isaac worked for Santa Maria del Fiore and Santissima Annunziata in Florence as a singer. These records also suggest he may have worked closely with Lorenzo de' Medici. It is believed that Medici may have brought Isaac to Florence from Innsbruck in 1484. Earlier, Isaac was listed as an organist for Lorenzo, but it is now known that the person who held that role was Isaac Argyropoulos. During his time in Florence from 1484 until the end of 1496, Isaac likely composed several masses, motets, and secular songs, including missa "J'ay pris amours" and the carnival song "Hora è di Maggio." In 1487, Isaac wrote the piece "A la battaglia" to honor the battle between Genoa and Florence for the castle Sarzanello, though the exact date and purpose of the piece are debated. Isaac's connection with Lorenzo de' Medici was likely strong, as he may have composed the music for a play called "San Giovanni e San Paolo," written by Medici himself, between 1488 and 1489. When Lorenzo died in April 1492, Isaac composed two motets in his memory. Lorenzo's son, Piero, inherited everything his father owned, including his musical groups. In September 1492, Piero took his musical groups to Rome to perform for the coronation of Pope Alexander VI. Records show Isaac was one of three singers for whom clothing was purchased for the trip, suggesting he performed for the Pope.
During his first time in Florence, Isaac had a connection with a Florentine named Piero Bello, whose daughter Bartolomea became Isaac's wife. While the exact date of their marriage is unknown, records suggest Lorenzo de' Medici may have arranged it when he brought Isaac to Florence from Flanders. There is a record of Piero Bello giving Isaac a dowry for his daughter in January 1495.
In November 1496, after spending time in Pisa, Isaac and his wife moved to Vienna, where they were employed by Emperor Maximilian I. By the winter of 1496, Isaac and Bartolomea had traveled from Pisa to Vienna and then to Innsbruck. On April 3, 1497, Isaac was appointed court composer for Maximilian I. He remained in Maximilian's service until his death, though he traveled widely across Europe north of Italy during this time. Payment records from Maximilian's court show Isaac traveled with the court to Torgau, Augsburg, Nürnberg, Wels, and back to Innsbruck between 1497 and 1501.
In 1502, Isaac returned to Italy and went to Florence to arrange matters with the hospital Santa Maria Nuova; payments were made to the hospital for health and food provisions. Recently discovered documents show Isaac began making yearly payments to the confraternity of Santa Barbara for mutual assistance. On August 15, 1502, Isaac wrote his first will, which included the names of his property owners, indicating he wanted to care for his wife and property if something happened to him. He then traveled to Ferrara to the Este court, where he wrote the motet "La mi la sol la sol la mi" in two days and competed with Josquin for a job. A letter from the Este family’s agent compared the two composers, stating, "[Isaac] is more pleasant to work with and will compose new works more often. It is true that Josquin composes better, but he does so only when he wants to."
Between 1505 and 1512, records show Isaac worked in Augsburg, Florence, and Constance (now Konstanz), where he created his largest collection of works: Choralis Constantinus. This important set of mass propers was commissioned by the Constance cathedral on April 14, 1508, and completed by Isaac and his student Ludwig Senfl by the winter of 1509. Isaac and Bartolomea were likely back in Florence by this time, as the completed Choralis Constantinus had to be sent to the cathedral.
On January 4, 1512, Isaac traded his house in Florence for a smaller one, showing he was settling down. He and his wife likely stayed in Florence, except for short trips, until his death. Isaac revised his will on November 24, 1512, requesting that a mass be said every year forever at Santissima Annunziata or another church if needed. Bartolomea would pay for these masses using provisions. On the recommendation of Pope Leo X and his brother Giuliano de' Medici, Isaac was given an honorary position as chief of the Chapel of Polyphonic Music at Santa Maria del Fiore on May 30, 1514, which served as a pension. He continued receiving payments from Maximilian I’s court even after moving to Florence. In December 1515, Pope Leo X visited Florence, where he likely heard Isaac’s music performed. Shortly before his death, Isaac wrote a third and final will, shortening his earlier request to have a commemorative mass said every year for ten years instead of forever. Isaac died on March 26, 1517. Santissima Annunziata received payment the next day to hold his funeral. A final donation of five florins was made to the confraternity of Santa Barbara, equal to one-quarter the value of Isaac’s home. Bartolomea survived her husband by more than seventeen years and died on May 30, 1534.
Compositions
Isaac was one of the most productive composers of his time, creating a wide variety of music, including nearly every type and style popular during the 16th century. Only Lassus, later in the 16th century, had an even broader range of musical works. Isaac composed masses, motets, songs in French, German, and Italian, and instrumental music. His most famous song may be "Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen," for which he created at least two versions. However, it is possible that Isaac did not compose the melody, only the musical arrangement. This melody was later used in the Lutheran hymn "O Welt, ich muss dich lassen," which inspired works by Johann Sebastian Bach, including his St Matthew Passion, and by Johannes Brahms.
Of Isaac’s compositions for the Ordinary of the Mass (the parts of the Mass that remained the same each day), 36 survive, though others are believed to have been lost. Many individual sections of these masses also remain. Isaac gained the most recognition for his music for the Proper of the Mass (the parts that changed daily). His large collection of motets, Choralis Constantinus, written for the Proper, would have provided music for 100 different days of the year. However, Isaac did not complete this work before his death.
Isaac is highly respected for Choralis Constantinus, a collection of over 450 polyphonic motets based on chants for the Proper of the Mass. The project began in 1508 when Isaac was commissioned by the Cathedral in Konstanz, Germany, to set music for the local liturgy. At the time, Isaac was in Konstanz because Emperor Maximilian had called a meeting of the Reichstag (German Parliament of nobles) there, and Isaac was providing music for the Imperial court choir. After both Maximilian and Isaac died, Ludwig Senfl, who had studied under Isaac, organized Isaac’s settings of the Proper into liturgical order for the church year. However, the collection was not published until 1555, after Senfl’s death. By then, the reforms of the Council of Trent had made many of the texts outdated. Despite this, the motets remain some of the finest examples of Renaissance polyphony.
Isaac composed a six-voice motet, Angeli Archangeli, for the Feast of All Saints, honoring angels, archangels, and other saints. Another well-known motet, Optime pastor (Optime divino), was written for the papal election of Medici Pope Leo X. This piece compares the Pope to a shepherd who can comfort and unite his followers.
While working for the Medici in Florence, Isaac composed a lament, Quis dabit capiti meo aquam (1492), mourning the death of Lorenzo de’ Medici. The text was written by Lorenzo’s favorite poet, Angelo Poliziano.
Influence
Isaac's influence was especially strong in Germany because of his connection to the Habsburg court. He was the first important composer of the Franco-Flemish polyphonic style who lived in German-speaking areas and whose music was widely shared there. Through Isaac, the polyphonic style from the Netherlands became widely accepted in Germany, allowing the development of contrapuntal music in the region. The Austrian composer Anton Webern (1883–1945) earned his PhD by studying Isaac's work, Choralis Constantinus, under Professor Guido Adler, who was a leading expert in musicology in Austria and Germany.