Burgundian lutenist, composer and anthologist (ca 1567 - ca 1625)[1] notable for publishing two anthologies which collected a diverse range of musical works of the rennaisance and early baroque periods and included instructions on playing the lute.
Biography edit
Born in Besançon, Besard studied law (Licentiate and Doctor of Laws, 1587)[2] at the University of Dôle. He went on to Rome, where he studied medicine until ca 1595. While in Rome he also studied music with the famous lutenist Lorenzino Del Liuto (Lorenzo Tracetti) In 1597 he was in Hesse where he may have taught the lute in addition to practising medicine and law. He then lived for a period in Cologne where in 1603 he published an anthology for lute, Thesaurus harmonicus containing 403 arrangements for lute of contemporaneous instrumental works and songs by various composers (including some by himself)[3] The Thesaurus included an addendum on the method of playing the lute, De modo in testudine libellus which was later translated into English by Robert Dowland[4]. Moving to Augsberg, probably around 1610, he continued practicing medicine and law and possibly also teaching the lute.
In 1617 he published another collection in Augsberg, Novus Partus, sive Concertationes Musicae containing approximately 60 solo and ensemble pieces, many by Besard himself. He also wrote treatises on other subjects such as medicine, physics and history.
Besard died some time after October 22, 1617 (the date of his last book), perhaps in 1625 in Augsburg (Bavaria).
Legacy edit
Apart from repertoire for the Lute, music from Besard's anthologies have been a rich source of transcriptions and adaptations in later periods. Ottorino Respighi used some pieces in his Ancient Airs and Dances and a small number form part of the classical guitar repertoire.
Notes edit
- ^ The Lute Instructions of Jean-Baptiste Besard. Julia Sutton. The Musical Quarterly Vol. 51, No. 2 (Apr., 1965), pp. 345-362. Published by: Oxford University Press
- ^ [1], Besard, Jean-Baptiste at JRank.
- ^ Oxford Grove Music Encyclopedia: Jean-Baptiste Besard.
- ^ Varietie of Lute-lessons, London, 1610: "Wherento is annexed certaine Observations belonging to Lute-playing by Jon Baptiste Besardus of Visconti"
The Lute Instructions of Jean-Baptiste Besard
Julia Sutton
The Musical Quarterly
Vol. 51, No. 2 (Apr., 1965), pp. 345-362
Published by: Oxford University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/741275
Sources edit
<a href="http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/883/Besard-Jean-Baptiste.html">Besard, Jean-Baptiste</a>
Harvard biographical dictionary of music/ edited by Don Michael Randel. ISBN 0-674-37299-9
Born Besançon, ca 1567, d.Augsberg 1625 Rennaisance composer and lutenist, studied law at the University of Dôle until 1587 and medecine and music in Rome until ca 1595. In 1597 he was in Hesse where he perhaps taught lute. He then lived for a period in Cologne where in 1603 he published a collection for lute, 'Thesaurus harmonicus'. It contains mostly arrangements for lute of contemporary instrumental works. Moving to Augsberg, probably around 1610, he continued practicing medicine and law and possibly also teaching the lute. In 1617 he published another collection in Augsberg, 'Novus Partus, sive Concertationes Musicae'; it contains some 60 solo or ensemble pieces, about half by Besard.
Bibl. Oeuvres pour luth seul de Jean Baptiste Besard, ed. André Souris and M. Rollin (Paris 1969)
Julia Sutton, "The Music of J. B. Besard's Novus Partus, 1617" JAMS 19 (1966) 182-204
Oxford Grove Music Encyclopedia: Jean-Baptiste Besard
(b Besançon, c 1567; dafter 1617). Burgundian lutenist and composer. He studied law in Dôle and medicine in Rome before moving to Germany. His Thesaurus harmonicus (1603) contains 403 lute pieces, some with voice, representing 21 composers (including himself) and almost all the instrumental forms of the time; many pieces were copied into later collections. A smaller collection, Novus partus, appeared in1617. Both are important for their size, catholicity of taste, influence and historical context. His extensive manual on lute playing, printed in Thesaurus and revised in Novus partus, concentrates on fingering techniques; it was later translated into English.
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/jean-baptiste-besard#ixzz1hxwFjtwZ
Jean-Baptiste Besard was a doctor, lawyer and lute player. It is the considered opinion that he was much more of a collector and editor of music than a composer. For example, the "Thesaurus Harmonicus" is a collection of over 400 compositions with fingering tables in the French style for the lute. These works include allemandes, galliards, fantasies, preludes, et al, only a few of which can be ascribed to Besrad himself. This collection was of immense proportional importance indicated by the number of single copies of separate pieces found in other collections. A manual on playing the lute, "De modo in testudine libellus" was an addendum to the Thesaurus and emphasizes diligent practice, luciduty over speed, and posture. The translation of "De modo" into English demonstrates its didactic import. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/jean-baptiste-besard-classical-artist#ixzz1hxwaIlqR
Also http://www.jstor.org/pss/741275
http://imslp.org/images/4/4b/Besard_Jean_Baptiste.jpg
http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/Besard,+Jean-Baptiste Besard, Jean-Baptiste (c. 1567–after 1617) French lutenist and composer. He first studied law at the University of Dôle, then the lute with Lorenzini in Rome. Later, he lived in Cologne and Augsburg, Germany. He published theoretical works and collections of lute music including his own. His Thesaurus harmonicus of 1603 contains more than 400 pieces by various composers and includes a manual on lute playing.
Besard, Jean-Baptiste
includes lute including anthology Besard, Jean-Baptiste, French lutenist, anthologist, music theorist, and composer; b. Besançon, c. 1567; d. after 1617. He was educated at the Univ. of Dole (Licentiate and Doctor of Laws, 1587), and then pursued the study of medicine in Rome, where he also claimed to have studied with Lorenzini. In 1613 he inherited letters of nobility from his father. He was mainly active in the fields of law and medicine, but he also taught lute and composed. He publ. an exhaustive anthology, Thesaurus harmonicus (10 vols., Cologne, 1603), which includes works by some 21 composers, including some of his own. It also includes his valuable treatise on lute playing, De modo in testudine libellus , which was tr. into Eng. in R. Dowland’s Varietie of Lute Lessons (London, 1610). He also brought out a second anthology, Novus partus, sive Concertationes musicae (Augsburg, 1617), which includes works by some 12 composers, including several of his own. It also includes a rev. ed. of his treatise on lute playing as Ad artem testudinis , which appeared in a Ger. tr. as Isagoge in artem testudinariam (Augsburg, 1617).
Read more: Besard, Jean-Baptiste - Includes, Lute, Including, and Anthology - JRank Articles http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/883/Besard-Jean-Baptiste.html#ixzz1hy2KMB00
German Wikipedia
Jean-Baptiste Besardaus Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jean-Baptiste Besard, and Jean-Baptiste Besardus, (* 1567 in Besancon, † 1617) was a French jurist, lutenist and composer.
Life [edit] The son of a southern businessman graduated from the University of Dole, the academic degree of Dr. jur. But was interested in music, physics, medicine and alchemy.
According to Jean-Baptiste Besard received lessons in Rome, at a certain Lorenzini, who was also called the Knights of the lute. He occupied himself, among many other studies with the collection and composition of works for this instrument. As from 1600 he was almost constantly on tour, mainly in Italy and Germany, show a very wide-ranging collections of his picture of the lute music of the time.
Will contain his published collection in 1603 thesaurus harmonicus 403 lute pieces, some with vocals, 21 composers are represented, including Besard himself, and almost all musical forms of time before coming. Many pieces have been included in later collections. 1617 appeared somewhat smaller collection Novus parturition. Both collections are in terms of their scope, the universality of artistic taste, influence and importance of their historical context.
Besard detailed statement to the lute in the thesaurus (revised in Novus parturition) is concerned particularly with fingerings and was later translated into English (Robert Dowland, Varietie of Lute-lessons, London, 1610: "Wherento is annexed certaine Observations belonging to Lute-playing by Jon Baptiste Besardus of Visconti. ")
Works [edit] divini Thesaurus harmonicus Laurencini Romani ... additus operis extremitati est de modo in Testudines studendi libellus (Cologne, 1603) Isagoge in artem testudinariam, that is: Gründtlicher Vnderricht VBER the artificial sounds of stringed instruments (Augsburg, 1617) Novus Partus immersive Concertation Musicae (Augsburg, 1617)
French Wikipedia
Jean-Baptiste Besard (ca. 1567 (Besançon?) - Ca. 1625 (Augsburg?)) Was a composer for lute, French physician and lawyer at the beginning of the Baroque period. He was distinguished by its little courtyard. He studied law and medicine at the University of Dole, then studied lute with Rome del Liuto Lorenzini, before going to Cologne and Augsburg. In addition to the collection Thesaurus harmonicus [...] (Grevenbruch, Cologne, 1603), which includes four hundred and three pieces for lute, 21 composers, including thirty-eight of his pen, Jean-Baptiste Besard published a collection of 24 pieces lute, Novus partus concertationes musicae sive, and a treaty lute Isagoge in artem testudinariam. He leaves also works on medicine, physics (eg philosophicum Antrum, in quo pleraque arcana physica [...] revelantur, 1617), history (Mercurii Gallobelgici [...], Grevenbruch, Cologne, 1604) and so on. He was born around 1567 in Besançon, and died safely after October 22, 1617 (the date of his last book), perhaps in 1625 in Augsburg (Bavaria).
It is then known by the name of Joannes Baptista Besardus.
Jean-Baptiste Besard(b Besançon, c 1567; dafter 1617). Burgundian lutenist and composer. He studied law in Dôle and medicine in Rome before moving to Germany. His Thesaurus harmonicus (Cologne, 1603) contains 403 lute pieces, some with voice, representing 21 composers (including himself and others such as John Dowland) and arrangements of instrumental forms of the time; many pieces were copied into later collections. A smaller collection, Novus partus, appeared in1617.