(Flem. Brugge).
City in Belgium. Thanks to its situation on the Zwin estuary to the North Sea, it became one of the most important trading centres of northern Europe in the 13th century; in size (c35,000 inhabitants) it was comparable with Cologne and London in the 14th century. Then and in the 15th century it was a favourite residence of the dukes of Burgundy. When the Zwin silted up in the 16th century, Bruges lost its dominant position to other Flemish towns.
Before the foundation of the diocese of Bruges (1559), the town belonged to the diocese of Tournai. Three collegiate churches employed professional musicians. In 1368 the oldest chapter, St Donatian (St Donaas, founded c918–44), included 31 canons and more than 60 chaplains. The earliest records of polyphony, mentioning an organ, date from 1127. In 1251–2 there was an organist and a zangmeester (choirmaster) who, from 1312, was charged with training eight chorales (choirboys). The existence of a liber motettorum of 1377 indicates that polyphony was performed, sung by the ghezellen van der muzycke or socii de musica, a select company of about 12 musicians from a total of 18 clerici installati. In 1421 the chapter established a daily polyphonic Maria mass (Missa de Salve). A number of important composers received a canon prebend without duty of residence, among them Grenon, Binchois, Du Fay and Joye. 15th-century choirmasters included Fabri, Heyns, Obrecht and Cordier. The 16th century produced the composers Antonius Divitis and Lupus Hellinck, who was trained as a chorister in Bruges. Hellinck was choirmaster at St Donatian, as was Antonius Galli; Adrian Willaert was also associated with the church. In the 17th century the permanent core of musicians remained and an instrumental ensemble was added.
The church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) was a parish church as early as 909 and became a collegiate church in 1091; by about 1400 it had 11 canons, 24 chaplains, four vicars and at least 14 clerici installati, among whom many were musicians. The dukes of Burgundy considered it their ‘court chapel’. The confraternity of Our Lady of the Snow (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe-ter-Sneeuw), founded shortly before 1450, played an important role in musical life. In the 16th century Jeronimus de Clibano, Lupus Hellinck and Galli, all also employed by St Donatian, were active in the church of Our Lady. The Cacheux organ dates from 1721–2. In 1787 the church employed about 20 musicians. The church of St Saviour (St Salavtor), founded in about 850, became a collegiate church in 1501 and included 20 prebends; it had known a flourishing musical life before this time, not least during the choirmastership of Antoine Busnoys (before 1492). Confraternities and private foundations ensured a varied musical practice. Musicians from the 15th century included: Jacobus Buus (in 1499 also organist at the church of Our Lady and in 1504 mentioned as choirmaster) and Nicasius de Brauwere (Braxatoris), who in 1484–5 composed motets for the ‘Salve concerts’ by the town musicians. During the 16th, Galli and Andreas Pevernage were active there. The number of canons was reduced to 12 in 1600 and in 1787 about ten musicians were permanently employed. The rood-loft, moved in 1935–6 to the west side of the nave, contains the restored Jacob Van Den Eynde organ of 1717.
In addition to the parish churches of St Gillis (St Giles), in which the choirmaster Johannes Richafort probably died in 1547, and St Walburga, St Jacob (St James) is worth mentioning. It was a rich institution as various prosperous merchants, among them Giovanni Arnolfini from Lucca, lived within its parish. The hairdressers' guild held an annual feast, including organ music during evensong, a procession during which boys sang a motet, the singing of hours and a mass in descant by six or seven singers (typical of such services on special occasions). In the 16th century Benedictus Appenzeller, Antoine Barbé, Geerkin De Hondt and Pevernage were among the choirmasters. Convents, monasteries and confraternities also played an important role in the city's musical life. The Carmelite convent included from 1428 the confraternity of the Chamber of Rhetoric of the Holy Ghost, which organized an annual passion play, performed refrains and hired singers. The Droge Boom (Dry Tree) confraternity (before 1396), in the Franciscan monastery, hired singers on Sundays and holy days to perform masses in discante.
The Burgundian court chapel was often in Bruges. Largely by awarding prebends in St Donatian to the best singers, the dukes developed an outstanding chapel which was held in great respect throughout Europe. Notable performances were at the three 15th-century gatherings of the Order of the Golden Fleece and, in 1468, at the wedding of Charles the Bold and Margaret of York in Bruges. Through the activities of the court (e.g. peace negotiations with foreign countries), musicians from many regions (France, England, the Habsburg empire) met there.
As early as 1310 and more regularly from 1331–2, Bruges employed four or five town musicians. They served as tower guards and played the trumpet, organ or fiddle. They participated in processions and other ceremonies with musicians from other towns (e.g. Sluis, Ghent or even Florence) or courts. In the 14th century minstrel courses, which enjoyed an international reputation, were held during Lent. The town musicians continued in existence until the French Revolution.
In 1280 there is mention of three bells in the belfry tower: the campana nuptiana, the scepenen scell (alderman bell) and the magna campana, used to announce important events. As early as 1533 there was a town carillonneur (Adriaen Vander Sluus), a post still financed by the town council. The current carillon (47 bells, four octaves) still contains 26 bells cast by J. Dumery, a native of Bruges, in 1743.
The Gruuthuse manuscript (c1390–1400), an exceptional collection of monophonic songs in stroke notation, is an example of music performed in middle-class society. Important references to domestic music can be found in the manuscripts of Hieronymus Lauwereyn van Watervliet (GB-Lbl Add.35087, shortly after 1500), the so-called Tournai/Brussels partbooks, which probably also originated from Bruges (B-Tv 94, Br IV 90, 1274; 1511) and the superb songbook of the merchant Zeghere van Male (F-CA 125–8, 1542). This last volume contains many compositions by local choirmasters. The 17th century produced Charles Guillet, an alderman and organist who composed 24 fantasias for organ (Paris, 1610). Carolus Hacquart probably received his musical training in Bruges.
After the foundation of a local music school in 1841 (from 1854 the Stedelijk Conservatorium), the responsibility for musical tuition was placed in the hands of the municipality. A concert society was formed in 1895. Since 1964 an annual two-week summer festival of early music has been organized as part of the Festival van Vlaanderen. As well as concerts, lectures and an exhibition, a competition is held following a triennial cycle: organ; harpsichord and pianoforte; singing, melodic and bass instruments, lute and ensembles. Important ensembles in Bruges include the Collegium Instrumentale Brugense, the Capella Brugensis (both conducted by Patrick Peire) and the Nieuw Vlaams Symfonie-Orkest.
Grove6 (M. Boereboom)
MGG2 (I. Bossuyt, A. Böker)
StrohmM
Vander StraetenMPB
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EUGEEN SCHREURS