Engarandus Juvenis, "Enguerrand the Younger" ( fl. 1480s-90s) is a composer, presumed to be of French origin, whose three known works are all preserved in a single codex – the Codice di Staffarda – in the Cistercian monastery of

Staffarda Staffarda Abbey (''Abbazia Santa Maria di Staffarda'') is a Cistercian monastery located near Saluzzo in north-west Italy; it was founded as a daughter house of Tiglieto Abbey in 1135 by Manfred I, Marquis of Saluzzo. The abbey became an import ...

, Italy. He is notable as the composer of the earliest surviving example of a polyphonic setting of a

Requiem mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

complete with Dies Irae section.

Lost records

No biographical information about the composer survives. The epithet "'' juvenis''" "the Younger" suggests a connection to an older Engarandus (Latin), or Enquerrand (French), but no older composer of this name is recorded. Possible non-composer Enguerrands as fathers, or simply as comparison, in the previous generation include the chronicler

Enguerrand de Monstrelet Enguerrand de Monstrelet (c. 140020 July 1453) was a French chronicler. He was born in Picardy, most likely into a family of the minor nobility. Life In 1436 and later he held the office of lieutenant of the ''gavenier'' (i.e. receiver of the ' ...

(c. 1400-1453) in Burgundy, and the painter

Enguerrand Quarton Enguerrand Quarton (or Charonton) ( 1410 – 1466) was a French painter and manuscript illuminator whose few surviving works are among the first masterpieces of a distinctively French style, very different from either Italian or Early Netherlan ...

(c. 1412-1466) of

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. ...

in Provence. The fact that no other works survive by the composer suggest a local composer known to the point of origin of the ''Codex Staffarda'' - but the exact origin of the ''Codex Staffarda'' is unknown, beyond that it was Piedmontese and was compiled in the closing years of the 15th century. It is also unknown how it arrived at a Cistercian monastery, the Abbazia di Santa Maria in Staffarda. The presence in the codex of thirteen secular works suggests an origin at an aristocratic court rather than an origin at a monastery or cathedral, so a connection between Engarandus and a local ducal chapel, such as the

Marquisate of Saluzzo The Marquisate of Saluzzo () was a historical Italian state that included parts of the current region of Piedmont and of the French Alps. The Marquisate was much older than the Renaissance lordships, being a legacy of the feudalism of the High ...

under Ludovico I (died 1475) or

Ludovico II Ludovico II may refer to: * Ludovico II Gonzaga, capitano del popolo of Mantua (1334-1382) * Ludovico II Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua (1412–1478) * Ludovico II of Saluzzo Ludovico II del Vasto (23 March 1438 in Saluzzo – 27 January 1504) ...

(died 1504) is possible. A recording of the mass was made in 1995 by the Italian vocal ensemble Daltrocanto conducted by Dario Tabbia, and released on the French Opus111 label.Il Codex de Staffarda (Juvenis, Brumel). Daltrocanto. Opus 111 OPS 30-162.

References

{{authority control French composers French male composers Year of birth missing Year of death missing