Orlando di Lasso (various other names; probably around 1532 – 14 June 1594) was a composer from the late Renaissance period. He was a leading figure in the developed style of music with multiple voices in the Franco-Flemish school. Lasso is considered one of the most important composers of the later Renaissance, along with William Byrd, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, and Tomás Luis de Victoria. He created a large number of musical works, and his music included many different styles and types. This variety helped him become very popular across Europe.

Name

Lasso's name has many different spellings, often changed based on where his music was performed or published. In addition to Orlando di Lasso, other variations include Orlande de Lassus, Roland de Lassus, Orlandus Lassus, Orlande de Lattre, and Roland de Lattre.

Since these different spellings have been used for many years and there is no evidence that he preferred one over the others, none of them are considered wrong.

Life and career

Orlando di Lasso was born in Mons in the County of Hainaut, Habsburg Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). Information about his early life is limited, though some unconfirmed stories remain. One well-known tale claims he was kidnapped three times because of his beautiful singing voice. At twelve, he left the Low Countries with Ferrante Gonzaga and traveled to Mantua, Sicily, and later Milan (from 1547 to 1549). In Milan, he met Spirito l'Hoste da Reggio, a composer of madrigals, who influenced his early musical style.

He later worked as a singer and composer for Costantino Castrioto in Naples in the early 1550s. His first works are believed to have been created during this time. He then moved to Rome, where he worked for Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. In 1553, he became maestro di cappella of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, a highly respected position for a man only twenty-one years old. However, he remained there for only one year. (Palestrina would later take this role in 1555.)

There is no clear record of his location in 1554, but some sources suggest he traveled to France and England. In 1555, he returned to the Low Countries, and his early works were published in Antwerp (1555–1556). In 1556, he joined the court of Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria, who aimed to build a musical establishment as strong as those in Italy. Lasso was one of several composers from the Low Countries working there, and he became the most famous. He seemed happy in Munich and decided to settle there. In 1558, he married Regina Wäckinger, the daughter of a maid of honor to the Duchess. They had two sons, both of whom became composers, and his daughter married the painter Hans von Aachen. By 1563, Lasso was appointed maestro di cappella, succeeding Ludwig Daser in the role. He remained in the service of Albrecht V and his heir, Wilhelm V, for the rest of his life.

By the 1560s, Lasso had become famous, and composers traveled to Munich to study with him. Andrea Gabrieli joined him in 1562 and possibly stayed in the chapel for a year. Giovanni Gabrieli may have also studied with him in the 1570s. His fame spread beyond music circles, as Emperor Maximilian II granted him nobility in 1570, a rare honor for a composer. Pope Gregory XIII knighted him in 1571, and King Charles IX of France invited him to visit in 1573. Some leaders tried to offer him better positions, but Lasso preferred the stability of his role and the performance opportunities in Munich. In 1580, he wrote to the Duke of Saxony, saying, "I do not want to leave my house, my garden, and the other good things in Munich."

In the late 1570s and 1580s, Lasso visited Italy, where he encountered modern musical styles. In Ferrara, a center for new and experimental music, he likely heard madrigals composed for the d'Este court. However, his own style remained traditional and grew simpler and more refined as he aged. In the 1590s, his health declined, and he sought treatment for a condition called "melancholia hypocondriaca" from a doctor named Thomas Mermann. Despite this, he continued to compose and travel occasionally. His final work, a set of twenty-one madrigali spirituali called Lagrime di San Pietro ("Tears of St. Peter"), was dedicated to Pope Clement VIII and published after his death in 1595. Lasso died in Munich on June 14, 1594, the same day his employer decided to dismiss him for financial reasons. He never saw the letter. He was buried in Munich in the Alter Franziskaner Friedhof, a cemetery that was later cleared of gravestones and is now the site of Max-Joseph-Platz.

Music and influence

Orlande de Lasso was one of the most productive and versatile composers of the late Renaissance. He wrote over 2,000 works in Latin, French, Italian, and German, covering many types of vocal music. These include 530 motets, 175 Italian madrigals and villanellas, 150 French chansons, and 90 German lieder. No instrumental music by Lasso has been found to survive or ever have existed. This is unusual because instrumental music was becoming more important during his time. The German music publisher Adam Berg dedicated five volumes of his Patrocinium musicum (published from 1573–1580) to Lasso's music.

Lasso remained Catholic during a time of religious conflict. This did not stop him from writing secular songs or using music originally based on risqué texts in his Magnificats and masses. However, the Catholic Counter-Reformation, which was growing in Bavaria during the late 16th century, influenced his later works. These include liturgical music for the Roman Rite, many Magnificats, settings of the Catholic Ulenberg Psalter (1588), and the spiritual madrigal cycle Lagrime di San Pietro (1594).

Almost 60 masses have survived completely. Most are parody masses, using melodies from secular songs written by Lasso or other composers. These masses are technically impressive but follow traditional styles. Lasso matched the style of the mass to the style of the source material, which ranged from Gregorian chant to madrigals, while keeping the final product expressive and reverent.

Some of his masses were based on secular French chansons, including one with an obscene text. For example, the chanson "Entre vous filles de quinze ans" by Jacob Clemens non Papa inspired his 1581 Missa entre vous filles. This practice was accepted by his employer, as shown in surviving letters.

In addition to traditional masses, Lasso wrote many "brief masses" (missae breves) for short services, such as days when Duke Albrecht went hunting. The most extreme example is the Jäger Mass (Missa venatorum), known as the "Hunter's Mass."

Some of his masses show influence from the Venetian School, especially in their use of polychoral techniques. Three of his masses are for double choirs, and they may have influenced the Venetians. Andrea Gabrieli visited Lasso in Munich in 1562, and many of Lasso's works were published in Venice. Although Lasso used the Venetian style, his harmonic language remained conservative.

Lasso was part of a style called musica reservata, which refers to intensely expressive music with chromaticism. This style may have been written for music experts. A famous example is his series of 12 motets, Prophetiae Sibyllarum, which uses chromaticism and complex harmonies.

Lasso wrote four settings of the Passion, one for each Evangelist: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. All are for a cappella voices. He set Christ's words and the Evangelist's narration as chant, while using polyphony for other parts.

As a composer of motets, Lasso was highly diverse and productive. His works range from serious to humorous, such as a motet that satirizes poor singers. Many of his motets were written for ceremonial events, such as weddings and state visits. His religious motets, however, brought him the most lasting fame.

Lasso's 1584 setting of the seven Penitential Psalms of David, ordered by King Charles IX of France, is one of the most famous Renaissance collections. Some claimed it was a way to atone for the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. The counterpoint is free, avoiding the imitation style of Netherlanders like Gombert, and uses expressive techniques different from Palestrina. His work focuses on emotional impact and careful text-setting. The final piece, his setting of the De profundis (Psalm 129/130), is considered one of the greatest examples of Renaissance polyphony.

Other liturgical works include hymns, canticles (over 100 Magnificats), responsories for Holy Week, Passions, Lamentations, and pieces for major feasts.

Lasso wrote in all major secular forms of his time. In the preface to his German songs, he listed his secular works: Italian madrigals, French chansons, German and Dutch songs. He was likely the only Renaissance composer to write prolifically in five languages—Latin, Italian, French, German, and Dutch—with equal fluency. His secular songs were widely popular across Europe.

In his madrigals, written during his time in Rome, his style is clear and memorable. He often used the word "lasso" in his music, sometimes setting the solfège syllables "la-sol" (A-G in the key of C). His poetry choices varied, from serious works by Petrarch to lighter verses in canzonettas.

Lasso often wrote cyclic madrigals, grouping multiple poems into related musical pieces. For example, his fourth book of madrigals for five voices begins with a sestina by Petrarch, continues with sonnets, and ends with another sestina, creating a unified composition.

Lasso also wrote about 150 French chansons, most from the 1550s, but he continued composing them into the 1580s. These were extremely popular and widely arranged across Europe.

Sources and further reading

• Haar, James. "Orlande de Lassus." 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
• Haar, James. "Orlande de Lassus." Edited by L. Macy. Grove Music Online. Saved from the original website on January 13, 2011. Retrieved on October 29, 2010. Access requires a subscription.
• Gustave Reese. Music in the Renaissance. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1954. ISBN 0-393-09530-4
• Harold Gleason and Warren Becker. Music in the Middle Ages and Renaissance (Music Literature Outlines Series I). Bloomington, Indiana: Frangipani Press, 1986. ISBN 0-89917-034-X
• Jean-Paul C. Montagnier. The Polyphonic Mass in France, 1600-1780: The Evidence of the Printed Choirbooks. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017. Chapter 5, "Lassus as Model."