Jean Escatefer dit Cousin (before 1425 – after 1474) was a French or
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
singer and composer of the
Burgundian School
The Burgundian School was a group of composers active in the 15th century in what is now northern and eastern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, centered on the court of the Dukes of Burgundy. The school inaugurated the music of Burgundy.
The ...
and a member of the royal chapel from about 1461.
Life and career
Jean Cousin served with
Johannes Ockeghem
Johannes Ockeghem ( – 6 February 1497) was a Franco-Flemish composer and singer of early Renaissance music. Ockeghem was the most influential European composer in the period between Guillaume Du Fay and Josquin des Prez, and he was—with his ...
and eleven other singers in the chapel of
Charles I, Duke of Bourbon from 1446 to 1448 at his chapel in
Moulins. Between 1448 and 1461, Cousin was employed in the orchestra at the French court, and perhaps as early as 1452, as Ockeghem at this time became an employee of the French king. It was not until 1461, however, that Cousin is recorded as a member of the court orchestra. At the funeral of
Charles VII, he was given a robe.
King Louis XI
Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII.
Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revol ...
asked the
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
for Ockeghem, Cousin and other members of the royal chapel to receive three
benefices
A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
, which the Pope provided in his Bull of December 5, 1463. Until at least 1474, Cousin served as a singer and priest of the French king, and by 1473 he had reached third place in the hierarchy of the orchestra. It is unclear when his employment was ended due to loss of the court orchestra bills for the period after 1474.
Cousin was recorded as taking part in the
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 ...
city election assemblies in 1463-1464.
Works
Of Cousin's works, only the ''Missa tubae'' has survived. ''Missa Nigra sum'' mentioned in 1473 by
Johannes Tinctoris
Jehan le Taintenier or Jean Teinturier (Latinised as Johannes Tinctoris; also Jean de Vaerwere; – 1511) was a Renaissance music theorist and composer from the Low Countries. Up to his time, he is perhaps the most significant European writer ...
seems to be lost.
Further reading
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References
External links
*
15th-century Franco-Flemish composers
Date of birth unknown
Date of death unknown
French classical composers
French male classical composers
Year of birth uncertain
Burgundian school composers
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