About two decades ago, the Orlando Consort released its first collection of Compère's compositions. Since then, our understanding of the music history of the second half of the 15th century has changed considerably. The main reason for this lies in the reassessment of the birthdate of the renowned composer Josquin Des Prez. Previously thought to be around 1440, more recent research points to a date between 1450 and 1455. Similar shifts affect other prominent composers of this period: A recently discovered document shows that Alexander Agricola was born not in the mid-1440s, but rather in the late 1450s.
These findings fundamentally alter the dating and evaluation of almost all musical works from this era. Compère, once considered a lesser contemporary of Josquin, now appears as a significantly older and possibly more groundbreaking composer. Historical manuscripts suggest that he predates Josquin and Obrecht chronologically, thus depicting the historical development more accurately than previously assumed. Although the notion of a single, definitive author may be considered outdated today, the historical context remains significant when listening to music.
Loyset Compère, born around 1445 in the Franco-Belgian border region, began his career in the court chapel of Galeazzo Maria Sforza in Milan. He composed important sacred motet cycles in a completely imitative style, demonstrating remarkable compositional experimentation. In his later years, he worked as a singer at the French royal court and presumably also at the court of Duke Jean II de Bourbon in Moulins.
His works are characterized by a continuous exploration of motivic possibilities and an expansion of the fixed forms of French songs. While his four-part compositions broke new musical ground, he innovatively utilized various styles in his songs. His musical heyday appears to have spanned from 1465 to 1500.
Some of his pieces, especially the enigmatic "Au travail suis sans espoir de confort," demonstrate his skill in motivic unification. Overall, the anthology impressively showcases Compère's artistic development and his profound influence on 15th-century music history.