Chanson clement janequin biography

Along with Claudin de Sermisy, Clément Janequin was one of the two great masters of the sixteenth-century French chanson.  His most famous chansons evoke phenomena such as bird calls (Le chant des oiseaux), street noises (Les cris de Paris), or the sounds of battle (La bataille).  Although these works were popular during his lifetime, Janequin never achieved much professional or financial success.

Early Years

Almost nothing is known about Janequin before 1505.  His will points to the town of Châtellerault, near Poitiers in western France, as his place of birth.  He probably studied music at the cathedral school there, as was common practice at the time.  By 1505, he was a clerk for Lancelot Du Fau in Bordeaux.  Du Fau held several church and governmental positions, including president of the court of inquests of the Bordeaux parliament, canon at the churches of St.

Andre and St. Seurin, and vicar-general of t