Guillaume Bouzignac (c. 1587 – c. 1643) was a French composer. Bouzignac was probably born in 1587 in Saint-Nazaire-d'Aude. He studied at the Cathedral of Narbonne until 1604, and was choirmaster at the Cathedrals of

Angoulême Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; oc, Engoleime) is a communes of France, commune, the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Charente Departments of France, department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern Franc ...

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...

, and

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label=Auvergnat (dialect), Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population ...

. His motets are preserved in two manuscripts. His motets are highly distinctive: "Simply stated, there is no other music of the time that looks the same on the page or sounds the same as the motets of Bouzignac." "One name in this period rises above those of his contemporaries for all sacred music, including Masses: that of Guillaume Bouzignac." Lewis A. Fortune N. Opera and church music, 1630-1750 1975 p422 His dialogue motets, such as ''Unus ex vobis'' and ''Dum silentium'', are small scale

oratorios An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

which anticipate

Giacomo Carissimi (Gian) Giacomo Carissimi (; baptized 18 April 160512 January 1674) was an Italian composer and music teacher. He is one of the most celebrated masters of the early Baroque or, more accurately, the Roman School of music. Carissimi established the ...

, and then

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...

(1643–1704) two generations later.

Discography

*Motets, Te Deum Les Arts Florissants dir. William Christie Harmonia Mundi HMC 901 471 *Motets with Jean Gilles Leçons de Ténèbres Boston Camerata dir. Joel Cohen Erato 4509 98480-2 *Motets Sächsisches Vocalensemble dir. Matthias Jung TACET S 156 2007

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bouzignac, Guillaume 1587 births 1643 deaths 17th-century classical composers 17th-century French composers French Baroque composers French male classical composers People from Aude 17th-century male musicians