Francisco Leontaritis (c. 1516/1518-probably 1572) is a composer, singer and hymnographer who lived in the seat of the Dukes of Candia in the Venetian-ruled Kingdom of Candia. Today it is the city of Heraklion on the island of Crete.
Leontaritis (nicknamed "il Greco", aka Francesco Londarit or Francesco Londarit, Franciscus Londariti, Leondaryti, Londaretus, Londaratus or Londaritus) is widely considered the father of modern Greek classical music. He was performed into the seventeenth century and then rediscovered in 1980.
Leontaritis was the second illegitemate son of Nikolaos, a well-to-do Catholic priest, treasurer and ducal cleric of the Church of Agios Titos in Heraklion and a Greek orthodox woman. He received a good education in Renaissance Crete at a time when arts and sciences blossomed under the Venetian rule. Like his father he chose a clerical career, and from 1537 until 1544 he was organist at the Agios Titos Church. Through his family connections he was given the title of protonotary apostolic, which to this day designates a prelate in the Roman Curia who performs certain duties with regard to papal documents. He also received various high-level church appointments which came with property and thus a certain prosperity. Leontaritis nevertheless led a conflict-ridden life and was badly in debt. (1)
Little is known about Leontaritis' early music education. There are reports that he studied Byzantine music with a musician named Ilarion Sotirchos. (1)
In 1949 Leontaritis left Crete, possibly due to the church fire in 1544, for Venice where he was given the name 'Il Greco.' He became a singer at St. Mark's Basilica under chapel master Adrian Willaert (c. 1490-1562), birthplace of the Venetian School and one of Europe's music centers. There he had access to Venice's nobility which strongly supported the arts, music and literature and considered Leontaritis one of their most prominent musicians. (1) He was invited to sing in Padua and Rome where he may have studied counterpoint with Orlando di Lasso (1530/1532-1594) and Palestrina (c. 1525-1594) at the Basilica di San Giovanni Laterano.
In 1552, however, he did something that caused him to lose his clerical titles for a while, and was apparently facing excommunication. In 1556 these sanctions were lifted, but he couldn't keep his position and left Venice in 1556 to work at the Cathedral in Padua. In 1561, however, he had to leave the Veneto region altogether, possibly because of reformist sympathies.
Probably through Nikolaus Stopius, manager of the Bomberg printing press in Venice, he had contact with the Fugger family and through them with the Bavarian Court. From 1562 to 1561 he was one of the esteemed musicians under Orlando di Lasso at the Chapel of Duke Albrecht V of Bavaria in Munich, the center of Renaissance music in Germany. During these years he wrote two motets for the wedding of Johann Jakob Fugger and works for the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II.
From 1567 he was a spy for the Spanish crown, then in possession of Milan and an enemy of Venice, and in 1568 he had to return to Crete. He paid off his debts with his inheritance from his father and resumed clerical and composition activities. Reports on Leontaritis end in 1572.
Leontaritis composed three surviving masses (Missa super Aller mi faut, Missa super Je prens en grez and Missa super Letatus sum), from 21 to 76 secular and religious motets depending on the source, six madrigals and two Canzone Napolitane. He has been called a musician of "eternal fame"(2) whose 'subtle and imaginative music sheds valuable light on the Italian inheritance in Crete during this period.' (3) Certainly, we hear the influence from Venice and Willaert's polyphony. Let's take a listen:
- Missa super Aller mi faut was the earliest mass, possibly written to 'cultivate relations with Johann Jakob Fugger.' It was based on Clément Jannequin’s (c. 1485-1558) chanson à 4 Aller m’y fault sur la verdure (I must go to the countryside) (1528). Here are 1. Kyrie and 2. Gloria. Listen to 3. Credo, 4. Sanctus et Benedictus, and 5. Agnus Deihere, here and here.
- Missa Je prens en grez (la dure mort) (I willingly accept (hard death)) (c. 1562-1566) was composed during Leontaritis' time in Munich. Its name derives from the 4-part chanson Je prens en gré la dure mort which was first written by Jacob Clemens non Papa (c. 1510/1515–1555/1556), published by Pierre Attaignant in Paris in 1539, and in rapid succession in various settings by Clemens, Tielman Susato (c. 1510/15–after 1570), and others in a number of Susato publications. (4) It must be noted that the theme of the mass does not entirely correspond to that of Clemens' or Clément Jannequin's (c. 1485–1558) chanson. (2)
Here are 3. Credo, 4. Sanctus-Benedictus, and 5. Agnus Dei. Listen to 1. Kyrie and 2. Gloriahere and here.
- Also during his time in Munich, Leontaritis worked on two collections of motets both published in Venice. The first was printed by Francesco Rampazetto in 1564, the second by Antonio Gardano in 1566. The group Polyphonia has released two albums which include some of these motets in alternating vocal and instrumental settings, probably all from the second collection. Let's listen to Ave Sanctissima Maria (instrumental) and In te Domine Speravi (vocal) from the first volume, and to the 5-part Cantate Domino (Sing the Lord) (instrumental) and O Rex Gloria (King of Glory) from the second volume, probably all from the 1566 collection.
- To conclude on a light note, here is a Canzon Napolitan, Cosi va chi ha ventura (How those who have an adventure, go [lit.] ) (1565/67). It was published in a collection of 3-part Canzone Napolitane by Giulio Bonagiunta on the Girolamo Scotto press.
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(1)"Londariti." German Wikipedia entry. (http://deacademic.com/dic.nsf/dewiki/876096 (01/04/2018))
(2) Miranda Kaldi, "Franciscos Leondaritis (c.1516-c.1572) - Missa super Aller mi faut [sur] la verdure." York Early Music Press, March 2006, Preface. (https://www.york.ac.uk/media/music/yemp/pdfs/Leondaritis%20-%20Missa%20Aller%20mi%20faut%20la%20verdure.pdf (01/5/2017))
(3) Ivan Moody, "Early music in Greece."Goldberg Magazine No. 9, Ivan Moody website, UK, 1999. (http://ivanmoody.co.uk/articles.earlymusicingreece.htm (01/05/2017))
(4) Keith Polk, "Tielman Susato and the Music of His Time: Print Culture, Compositional Technique and Instrumental Music in the Renaissance." Hillsdale, NY, Pendragon Press, 2005, p. 21. (https://books.google.com/books?id=iEKQ8CkEsY8C&lpg=PA21&dq=je%20prens%20en%20gr%C3%A9%20la%20dure%20mort%2Btielman%20susato&pg=PA21#v=onepage&q=je%20prens%20en%20gr%C3%A9%20la%20dure%20mort%20tielman%20susato&f=false (01/05/2017))
Leontaritis (nicknamed "il Greco", aka Francesco Londarit or Francesco Londarit, Franciscus Londariti, Leondaryti, Londaretus, Londaratus or Londaritus) is widely considered the father of modern Greek classical music. He was performed into the seventeenth century and then rediscovered in 1980.
Leontaritis was the second illegitemate son of Nikolaos, a well-to-do Catholic priest, treasurer and ducal cleric of the Church of Agios Titos in Heraklion and a Greek orthodox woman. He received a good education in Renaissance Crete at a time when arts and sciences blossomed under the Venetian rule. Like his father he chose a clerical career, and from 1537 until 1544 he was organist at the Agios Titos Church. Through his family connections he was given the title of protonotary apostolic, which to this day designates a prelate in the Roman Curia who performs certain duties with regard to papal documents. He also received various high-level church appointments which came with property and thus a certain prosperity. Leontaritis nevertheless led a conflict-ridden life and was badly in debt. (1)
Little is known about Leontaritis' early music education. There are reports that he studied Byzantine music with a musician named Ilarion Sotirchos. (1)
In 1949 Leontaritis left Crete, possibly due to the church fire in 1544, for Venice where he was given the name 'Il Greco.' He became a singer at St. Mark's Basilica under chapel master Adrian Willaert (c. 1490-1562), birthplace of the Venetian School and one of Europe's music centers. There he had access to Venice's nobility which strongly supported the arts, music and literature and considered Leontaritis one of their most prominent musicians. (1) He was invited to sing in Padua and Rome where he may have studied counterpoint with Orlando di Lasso (1530/1532-1594) and Palestrina (c. 1525-1594) at the Basilica di San Giovanni Laterano.
In 1552, however, he did something that caused him to lose his clerical titles for a while, and was apparently facing excommunication. In 1556 these sanctions were lifted, but he couldn't keep his position and left Venice in 1556 to work at the Cathedral in Padua. In 1561, however, he had to leave the Veneto region altogether, possibly because of reformist sympathies.
Probably through Nikolaus Stopius, manager of the Bomberg printing press in Venice, he had contact with the Fugger family and through them with the Bavarian Court. From 1562 to 1561 he was one of the esteemed musicians under Orlando di Lasso at the Chapel of Duke Albrecht V of Bavaria in Munich, the center of Renaissance music in Germany. During these years he wrote two motets for the wedding of Johann Jakob Fugger and works for the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II.
From 1567 he was a spy for the Spanish crown, then in possession of Milan and an enemy of Venice, and in 1568 he had to return to Crete. He paid off his debts with his inheritance from his father and resumed clerical and composition activities. Reports on Leontaritis end in 1572.
Leontaritis composed three surviving masses (Missa super Aller mi faut, Missa super Je prens en grez and Missa super Letatus sum), from 21 to 76 secular and religious motets depending on the source, six madrigals and two Canzone Napolitane. He has been called a musician of "eternal fame"(2) whose 'subtle and imaginative music sheds valuable light on the Italian inheritance in Crete during this period.' (3) Certainly, we hear the influence from Venice and Willaert's polyphony. Let's take a listen:
- Missa super Aller mi faut was the earliest mass, possibly written to 'cultivate relations with Johann Jakob Fugger.' It was based on Clément Jannequin’s (c. 1485-1558) chanson à 4 Aller m’y fault sur la verdure (I must go to the countryside) (1528). Here are 1. Kyrie and 2. Gloria. Listen to 3. Credo, 4. Sanctus et Benedictus, and 5. Agnus Deihere, here and here.
- Missa Je prens en grez (la dure mort) (I willingly accept (hard death)) (c. 1562-1566) was composed during Leontaritis' time in Munich. Its name derives from the 4-part chanson Je prens en gré la dure mort which was first written by Jacob Clemens non Papa (c. 1510/1515–1555/1556), published by Pierre Attaignant in Paris in 1539, and in rapid succession in various settings by Clemens, Tielman Susato (c. 1510/15–after 1570), and others in a number of Susato publications. (4) It must be noted that the theme of the mass does not entirely correspond to that of Clemens' or Clément Jannequin's (c. 1485–1558) chanson. (2)
Here are 3. Credo, 4. Sanctus-Benedictus, and 5. Agnus Dei. Listen to 1. Kyrie and 2. Gloriahere and here.
- Also during his time in Munich, Leontaritis worked on two collections of motets both published in Venice. The first was printed by Francesco Rampazetto in 1564, the second by Antonio Gardano in 1566. The group Polyphonia has released two albums which include some of these motets in alternating vocal and instrumental settings, probably all from the second collection. Let's listen to Ave Sanctissima Maria (instrumental) and In te Domine Speravi (vocal) from the first volume, and to the 5-part Cantate Domino (Sing the Lord) (instrumental) and O Rex Gloria (King of Glory) from the second volume, probably all from the 1566 collection.
- To conclude on a light note, here is a Canzon Napolitan, Cosi va chi ha ventura (How those who have an adventure, go [lit.] ) (1565/67). It was published in a collection of 3-part Canzone Napolitane by Giulio Bonagiunta on the Girolamo Scotto press.
(1)"Londariti." German Wikipedia entry. (http://deacademic.com/dic.nsf/dewiki/876096 (01/04/2018))
(2) Miranda Kaldi, "Franciscos Leondaritis (c.1516-c.1572) - Missa super Aller mi faut [sur] la verdure." York Early Music Press, March 2006, Preface. (https://www.york.ac.uk/media/music/yemp/pdfs/Leondaritis%20-%20Missa%20Aller%20mi%20faut%20la%20verdure.pdf (01/5/2017))
(3) Ivan Moody, "Early music in Greece."Goldberg Magazine No. 9, Ivan Moody website, UK, 1999. (http://ivanmoody.co.uk/articles.earlymusicingreece.htm (01/05/2017))
(4) Keith Polk, "Tielman Susato and the Music of His Time: Print Culture, Compositional Technique and Instrumental Music in the Renaissance." Hillsdale, NY, Pendragon Press, 2005, p. 21. (https://books.google.com/books?id=iEKQ8CkEsY8C&lpg=PA21&dq=je%20prens%20en%20gr%C3%A9%20la%20dure%20mort%2Btielman%20susato&pg=PA21#v=onepage&q=je%20prens%20en%20gr%C3%A9%20la%20dure%20mort%20tielman%20susato&f=false (01/05/2017))