Fevin, Robert de
Fevin, Antoine de, *ca. 1470 Arras (?), †1511 or 1512 Blois, French composer. From at least 1507, he was associated with the French royal court as a singer in Louis XII’s chapel. Nothing is known of the composer’s earlier life; he was ordained a priest at an unknown date. Fevin’s probable date of death is inferred from the text of Guillaume Crétin’s lament on the death of Jehan Braconnier, in which the composer is also mentioned. Preserved sources indicate that Fevin was highly regarded by his contemporaries for his compositional output. He is mentioned, among others, by Glarean, and is listed in the preface to the fourth book of François Rabelais’s Gargantua and Pantagruel. He was honoured by Jean Mouton in the lamentation chanson Qui ne regrettoit le gentil Fevin?, and also by Pierre Moulu in one of his motets.
The works of Robert de Févin show clear influences of the style of Josquin des Prez and the compositional techniques he employed, such as canonic imitation, the juxtaposition of voice groups with contrasting registers, and the introduction of two-voice passages alongside the chordal sound of the full ensemble. Given the similar lifespans of both composers, as well as Févin’s inventiveness in using these techniques and the high artistic level of his works, he cannot be regarded as a mere imitator, but rather as a composer who creatively developed Josquin’s legacy.
Literature: G.B. de Puisieux Pierre de Févin, chronique artésien du XVe siècle, “Bulletin de la Société des antiquaires de Picardie” XXIV, 1909-10; J. Delporte Antoine de Févin (1470–1512), “Revue liturgique et musicale” XVIII, 1934–35; B. Kahmann Antoine de Févin: A Bio-Bibliographical Contribution, “Musica Disciplina” IV, 1950 and V, 1951; A.T. Merritt A Chanson Sequence by Févin, in: Essays on Music in Honor of Archibald Thompson Davison, Cambridge 1957; J.F. Spratt The Masses of Antoine de Févin, thesis, Florida State University, 1960; E.H. Clinkscale The Complete Works of Antoine de Févin, thesis, New York University, 1965; H.M. Brown A “New” Chansonnier of the Early Sixteenth Century in the University Library of Uppsala: A Preliminary Report, “Musica Disciplina” XXXVII, 1983; J. Barbier Faulte d’argent: modèles polyphoniques et parodies au XVIe siècle, “Revue de Musicologie” LXXIII, 1987; A.H. Weaver Aspects of Musical Borrowing in the Polyphonic Missa de feria of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries, in: Early Music Borrowing, ed. H. Meconi, New York 2003; J.T. Brobeck Antoine de Févin and the origins of the “Parisian motet”, in: The Motet around 1500. On the Relationship between Imitation and Text Treatment?, ed. T. Schmidt-Beste, Turnhout 2012; H. Studeničová Antoine und Robert de Fevin: Ihre Messen in Brünner Manuskript BAM1, “Musicologica Brunensia” LI, 2016; A. Ignesti Compositional Strategies in the Late Fifteenth Century and Beyond: Observations on the Missa “Mente tota” of Antoine de Févin, “Rivista di analisi e teoria musicale” XXIII, 2017; H. Meconi Antoine de Févin (d. after January 1512): Missa pro fidelibus defunctis, in: The Book of Requiems, 1450-1550. From the Earliest Ages to the Present Period, ed. D.J. Burn, Leuven 2022.
Mente tota mass, «Les Maîtres Musiciens de la Renaissance Française» X, ed. H. Expert, Paris 1898/99
Ave Maria mass, ed. J. Delporte, Tournai 1934 and J. Bank, Amsterdam 1949
one motet ed. Y. Rokseth in: Treize motets, Paris 1930 and B. Kahmann, Amsterdam 1951
4 chansons, ed. H. M. Brown in: Theatrical Chansons of the 15th and Early 16th Century, Cambridge (Massachusetts) 1963
1 lamentation ed. G. Massenkeil in: Mehrstimmige Lamentationen aus der ersten Hälfte des 16 Jahrhunderts, «Musikalische Denkmäler» VI, Mainz 1965
mass, ed. E.H. Clinkscale, «Collected Works of Antoine de Févin» I, Ottawa 1980 and II, Ottawa 1993
lamentations, magnificats, motets and chansons, ed. E.H. Clinkscale, «Collected Works of Antoine de Févin» III, Ottawa 1994
disputed, incomplete, and intabulated works, ed. E.H. Clinkscale, «Collected Works of Antoine de Févin» IV, Ottawa 1996