Leonel Power (also spelled ''Lionel, Lyonel, Leonellus, Leonelle''; ''Polbero''; 1370 to 1385 – 5 June 1445) was an English composer of the late

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

and early

Renaissance music Renaissance music is traditionally understood to cover European music of the 15th and 16th centuries, later than the Renaissance era as it is understood in other disciplines. Rather than starting from the early 14th-century '' ars nova'', the Tr ...

. Along with

John Dunstaple John Dunstaple (or Dunstable, – 24 December 1453) was an English composer whose music helped inaugurate the transition from the Medieval music, medieval to the Renaissance music, Renaissance periods. The central proponent of the ''Contenance ...

, he was a dominant figure of 15th century English music. Primarily a composer of

sacred music Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as ritual. Relig ...

, Power is the best represented contributor in the

Old Hall Manuscript The Old Hall Manuscript (British Library, Add MS 57950) is the largest, most complete, and most significant source of English sacred music of the late 14th and early 15th centuries, and as such represents the best source for late Medieval English ...

Life and career

Canterbury Cathedral, view of the Western Towers engraved by J

Very little is known about Power's life. Documents dating from the early 1440s refer to him as a native of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. Stylistic analysis of his music, as well as his probable age during his known appointments, show that he may have been born between 1370 and 1385. A suggestion that Power was of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

origin, which appeared in W.H.G. Flood's 1905 ''A History of Irish Music'', is usually discounted by modern scholars, since Flood is not known to have had any other sources on Power's life than are currently available. The earliest dated reference to Power refers to him as instructor to the choristers of the household chapel of

Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence (autumn 1387 – 22 March 1421) was a medieval English prince and soldier, the second son of Henry IV of England, brother of Henry V, and heir to the throne in the event of his brother's death. He acted ...

. The duke died in 1421; the next reference to Power is from 1423: on 14 May he joined the fraternity of

Christ Church, Canterbury Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Justin Welby, leader of the Ch ...

. He almost certainly served as choirmaster of the cathedral, and may also have been employed by

John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford KG (20 June 138914 September 1435) was a medieval English prince, general and statesman who commanded England's armies in France during a critical phase of the Hundred Years' War. Bedford was the third son of ...

. He died at Canterbury on 5 June 1445 and was buried the next day; several notices of his death survive.

Music and influence

While Power's output was slightly less than Dunstaple's (only 40 extant pieces can be definitely attributed to him), his influence was similar. He is the composer best represented in the ''

,'' one of the only undamaged sources of English music from the early 15th century (most manuscripts were destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536–1540 under

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

). Power was one of the first composers to set separate movements of the

Ordinary of the Mass The ordinary, in Roman Catholic and other Western Christian liturgies, refers to the part of the Mass or of the canonical hours that is reasonably constant without regard to the date on which the service is performed. It is contrasted to the ''pr ...

which were thematically unified and intended for contiguous performance. The Old Hall Manuscript contains his mass based on the

Marian antiphon Marian hymns are Christian songs focused on Mary, mother of Jesus. They are used in both devotional and liturgical services, particularly by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. They are often used in the mont ...

Alma Redemptoris Mater "Alma Redemptoris Mater" (; "Loving Mother of our Redeemer") is a Marian hymn, written in Latin hexameter, and one of four seasonal liturgical Marian antiphons sung at the end of the office of Compline (the other three being '' Ave Regina Caelo ...

, in which the antiphon is stated literally in the tenor in each movement, unornamented. This is the only cyclic setting of the mass Ordinary which can be attributed to him.

Works

;Masses * ''Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus'', for 3vv (on Rex seculorum; possibly by Dunstaple) * ''Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus'', for 3vv (Sine nomine; possibly by Dunstaple or Benet) * ''Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus'', for 3vv (on Alma redemptoris mater) * ''Gloria, Credo'', for 4–5vv * ''Gloria, Credo'', for 3vv (on lauds antiphons for St. Thomas of Canterbury) * ''Sanctus, Agnus'', for 3vv (on Sarum Sanctus II, Agnus VII) * ''Sanctus, Agnus'', for 4vv (on Sarum Sanctus III, Agnus XII) * 2 Kyrie settings, 6 Gloria settings, 3 Credo settings, 5 Sanctus settings, and 3 Agnus settings; some fragmentary and/or of questionable attribution ;Other works * ''Alma redemptoris mater'', 2 versions for 3vv (possibly by Dunstaple) * ''Anima mea liquefacta est'' (''Christus resurgens''), for 2/3vv * ''Anima mea liquefacta est'', for 3vv * ''Ave regina celorum, ave'', for 3vv * ''Ave regina celorum, ave'', for 4vv * ''Beata progenies'', for 3vv * ''Beata viscera'', for 3vv * ''Gloriose virginis'', for 4vv * ''Ibo michi ad montem'', for 3vv * ''Mater ora filium'', for 3vv * ''Quam pulchra es'', for 3vv * ''Regina celi'', for 3vv * ''Salve mater Salvatoris'', for 3vv (possibly by Dunstaple) * ''Salve regina'', for 3vv (paraphrase of plainchant Alma redemptoris) * ''Salve regina'', for 3vv * ''Salve sancta parens'' (''Virgo prudentissima''), for 3vv

References

Citations

Sources

* *

External links

*
Works by Power
in the Medieval Music Database from

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Power, Leonel 15th-century English composers Medieval male composers 14th-century births 1445 deaths English male classical composers