Prioris, Denis (EN)

Prioris, Prieur, Denis, Dionisius (not Johannes), †late 1514 or early 1515, French clergyman, singer, and composer. Most of the documents and attributions known until recently mention only the composer’s surname. The name Johannes, which appears in two copies of the De angelis mass, long considered to be Prioris’ name, is probably incorrect, and the composer should be identified as Denis Prieur, who from 1491 was a singer in the chapel of Louis, Duke of Orleans (the future King Louis XII) and who, in 1497, already as “magister cappellae ducis,” obtained a canonry at the collegiate church of St-Saveur in Blois. In later documents of the chapter in Blois (1503–1507), Dionisius Prior (Prieur) is also referred to as the master of the royal chapel. He did not come from the Brussels area, as was once assumed, nor did he work in Italy. He held several prebends in churches in central France, where he was most likely born. He was still alive in August 1514, but a document from May 1515 appointing his successor to the provostship of St. Denis in Amboise mentions him as deceased.

Prioris’ work enjoyed considerable recognition, as evidenced by the numerous copies of his works and references in the works of G. Crétin, E. d’Amerval, and F. Rabelais, among others, who mention him among the most outstanding masters of the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries. Prioris’ masses, among which the requiem setting gained the greatest popularity, are based on cantus firmus taken from chorales or chansons, sometimes in combination with the parody technique (Missa “Tant bel”). Both in masses (Missa de Angelis, Requiem) and in motets, the motivic material of liturgical chants is sometimes paraphrased in all voices. Sacred works are dominated by a 4-voice arrangement, sometimes varied by longer 2-voice parts (Si ambulem from the Mass for the Dead) and imitations of voice pairs. A larger scoring is usually due to the use of canon (triple in the 6-voice Da pacem, and even quadruple in the 8-voice Ave Maria). Prioris’ chansons (also rare hybrids of chanson and motet) are mostly in rondeau form. All of them, except for the five-part Entré je suis, are written in a conservative three-part texture with an instrumental countertenor and two vocal parts, in which imitations appear sporadically. The strambotto setting has survived in 3- and 4-part versions, and it is possible that Prioris is the author of only the added part.

Literature: Th. Dumitrescu Who Was „Prioris”? A Royal Composer Recovered, “Journal of the American Musicological Society”, 2012 no. 1.