Eustache Du Caurroy

Highly honored both during and after his life, Du Caurroy was a successful composer even though many of his works were not published until after his death. He was the canon of both St Chapelle in Dijon and St Crois in Orleans. At the funeral of Henry IV, Du Caurroy's "Requiem" was played; subsequently it became the official funeral mass for the kings of France. Attributing the "works" of Josquin, Willaert and Zarlino as his teacher, he composed music with a conservative flare including characteristic counterpoint, lyricism, and open chordal qualities. It is interesting that his studies of the "ancient music" may be reflected in his tendency to base his compositional mannerisms on abstract mathematical formulae. ~ Keith Johnson