Abertijne Malcourt (Albertinus and Malcort are common alternate spellings) (d. before 1519) was a
Franco-Flemish priest, tenor singer, and music copyist of the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
, principally active at the end of the 15th century, contemporary with
Johannes Ockeghem. He is considered to be the composer most likely to have written the famous
chanson ''Malheur me bat'', used as the basis for mass settings by
,
Josquin des Prez
Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez ( – 27 August 1521) was a composer of High Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he was a central figure of the ...
,
Alexander Agricola
Alexander Agricola (; born Alexander Ackerman; – 15 August 1506) was a Netherlandish composer of the Renaissance writing in the Franco-Flemish style. A prominent member of the ''Grande chapelle'', the Habsburg musical establishment, he wa ...
, and
Andreas Sylvanus.
[Haggh, Grove online]
Some documentation has been found for Malcourt's life. He was a singer in 1475 and 1476 in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
at the cathedral of
Ste. Gudule, and was there again as choirmaster between 1494 and 1498; it is not clear if he was there the whole time. He received a pension from Ste. Gudule in 1513, and is mentioned as being deceased in 1519. In addition to being a singer, he was a music copyist, having copied several books of music not only for Ste. Gudule but for the church of St. Niklaus, also in Brussels. The work for St. Niklaus occurred in 1486 to 1487. The only record of his having been a composer is the attribution to "Malcort" in a
Ferrarese manuscript of the textless
rondeau ''Malheur me bat''; while this Malcort may have been Hendrick Malecourt, who was a singer in
Bergen op Zoom around the same time, and worked directly with Obrecht, Abertijne Malcourt is currently considered to be the most likely candidate.
Notes
References
*Haggh, Barbara H, "Malcourt (Malcort)", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed April 14, 2007)
(subscription access)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malcourt, Albertijne
15th-century births
1510s deaths
Renaissance composers
Male classical composers