Jacobus Clemens (non Papa)
Jacobus Clemens, a.k.a. Clemens Non Papa, was likely born circa 1510 in Flanders. The addition of "non Papa" to his name, literally means "not the Pope", the pope in Rome at the time being Clement VII. However, the nickname could have also been a reflection of the composer's protestant sympathies.
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| Jacobus Clemens (c.1510 - 1556) |
Around the time of his birth, Michelangelo was starting work on the Sistine Chapel in Italy and in England, Henry VIII saw the completion of Hampton Court Palace. However, the centre of musical stylistic innovation was the Netherlands, dominating the scene throughout the renaissance. Clemens non Papa was one of the few successful Flemish musicians not to travel to Italy, spending most of his life in Flanders, working in towns such as Bruges, Dordrecht and Ypres. Also, unlike most other composers of that period, Clemens non Papa seems never to have been employed by the church, at least not on a permanent contract. Nevertheless, owing to his lucrative business partnership with the Antwerp-based publisher, Tielman Susato, Clemens non Papa was one of the most frequently published composers of the late 1500s.
Clemens spent several months living and singing with the Marian monks at 'S-Hertogenbosch, a large city, famous for its cathedral music. Their motto was "sicut lilium inter spinas", which describes the Virgin Mary as a 'lily amongst thorns'. He gave those words a particular prominence in his music. Listen here to his motet, 'Ego Flos Campi' ('I am the rose of Sharon'):
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| From The British Museum |
Sources: The Early Music Show (BBC Sounds), Encyclopaedia Britannica, The British Museum
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