Jean-Baptiste Besard

Jean-Baptiste Besard.

Jean-Baptiste Besard was a Burgundian lutenist, composer and anthologist (ca 1567 – ca 1625)[1] notable for publishing two anthologies which collected a diverse range of musical works of the Renaissance and early Baroque periods and included instructions on playing the lute.

Biography

Born in Besançon, Besard studied law (Licentiate and Doctor of Laws, 1587)[2] at the University of Dôle. He went on to Rome, where he studied medicine until ca 1595. While in Rome he also studied music with the famous lutenist Lorenzino Del Liuto (Lorenzo Tracetti). In 1597 he was in Hesse where he may have taught the lute in addition to practising medicine and law. He then lived for a period in Cologne where in 1603 he published an anthology for lute, Thesaurus harmonicus containing 403 arrangements for lute in French tablature[1] of contemporaneous instrumental works and songs by various composers (including some by himself).[3] The Thesaurus included an addendum on the method of playing the lute, De modo in testudine libellus, which was later translated into English by Robert Dowland.[4] Moving to Augsberg, probably around 1610, he continued practicing medicine and law, and possibly teaching the lute.

In 1617, Besard published another collection in Augsberg: Novus Partus, sive Concertationes Musicae, containing approximately 60 solo and ensemble pieces, many of which were by Besard himself. He also wrote treatises on other subjects such as medicine, physics and history.

Besard died some time after October 22, 1617 (the date of his last book), or perhaps in 1625 in Augsburg (Bavaria).

Legacy

Apart from repertoire for the lute, music from Besard's anthologies have been a rich source of transcriptions and adaptations in later periods. Ottorino Respighi used some pieces in his Ancient Airs and Dances and a small number form part of the classical guitar repertoire.

Notes

  1. 1 2 The Lute Instructions of Jean-Baptiste Besard. Julia Sutton. The Musical Quarterly Vol. 51, No. 2 (Apr., 1965), pp. 345-362. Published by: Oxford University Press
  2. ↑ , Besard, Jean-Baptiste at JRank.
  3. ↑ Oxford Grove Music Encyclopedia: Jean-Baptiste Besard.
  4. ↑ Varietie of Lute-lessons, London, 1610: "Wherento is annexed certaine Observations belonging to Lute-playing by Jon Baptiste Besardus of Visconti"
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