WILLAERT, ADRIAN (ADRIANO)

(c. 1490, Bruges or Roulaers, Flanders – 7 December 1562, Venice)

Through his own compositions and his teaching of following generations, Willaert made the Venetian musical establishment at St. Mark’s one of the foremost musical centers of Europe. After trying law at the University ofParis, he studied composition withJean Mouton. He served three members of the d’Este family of Ferrara: Cardinal Ippolito I d’Este (1515–1520), Duke Alfonso I (1522), and Cardinal Ippolito II, Archbishop of Milan (1525–1527). On 12 December 1527, the Procurators of St. Mark’s appointed himmaestro di cappella. Among his students were the theorist and teacher Gioseffo Zarlino (1517–1590), the eminent composer Cipriano de Rore (c. 1515–1565), andAndrea Gabrieli.

Willaert is best known today for his eightpsalmscomposed forcori spezzati, the first associated with St. Mark’s, published in Venice in 1550, and for a collection of madrigals andmotets,Musica nova(1559, Venice), one of the most famous publications of the century. He also composed ninemasses, 29polyphonic hymnsettings, 18 single choir psalms, and 183 motets. He also published a set of ninericercarsfororgan(1551, Venice). The earlier motets follow the models of Mouton andJosquin Desprezwith structures clearly articulated byimitativepairs. The later ones favor less explicit imitation in order to maintain fuller textures, the trend for the rest of the century.