Orlando di Lasso
Prolific late Renaissance composer of the Franco-Flemish school.
Orlando di Lasso (various other names; probably c. He is considered the chief representative of the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school and stands with William Byrd, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, and Tomás Luis de Victoria as one of the leading composers of the later Renaissance. Immensely prolific, his music varies considerably in style and genre, which gave him unprecedented popularity throughout Europe.
- field
- Composer
- nationality
- Franco-Flemish
Lore & Background
Orlando di Lasso was born in Mons in the County of Hainaut, Habsburg Netherlands. Information about his early years is scanty, though uncorroborated stories survive, including that he was kidnapped three times because of the singular beauty of his singing voice. In Milan he met the madrigalist Spirito l'Hoste da Reggio, a formative influence. He then worked as a singer and composer for Costantino Castrioto in Naples in the early 1550s, and his first works are presumed to date from this time. By the 1560s he was famous, and composers such as Andrea Gabrieli and possibly Giovanni Gabrieli studied with him. He declined offers from other courts, valuing stability in Munich. In the late 1570s and 1580s he visited Italy, encountering modern styles, though his own style remained conservative. In the 1590s his health declined; he was treated for 'melancholia hypocondriaca' by Thomas Mermann. He was buried in Munich's Alter Franziskaner Friedhof, later cleared and now the site of Max-Joseph-Platz.
Reader's Guide
No strictly instrumental music by him is known to survive. His sacred music includes almost 60 masses, mostly parody masses using secular source material, some of which were outright obscene, a practice accepted and encouraged by his employer. He also wrote missae breves for brief services, such as the Jäger Mass. His motets and other sacred music exemplify the style known as musica reservata, involving intensely expressive text setting and chromaticism. Lasso remained Catholic during religious discord, and the Catholic Counter-Reformation influenced his late work, including the Lagrime di San Pietro. His harmonic language remained conservative even when using Venetian polychoral techniques. The German music publisher Adam Berg dedicated five volumes of Patrocinium musicum to Lasso's music. His legacy is that of a universal composer whose works achieved unprecedented popularity across Europe.
Did You Know?
- Lasso's name appears in many forms, including Orlande de Lassus, Roland de Lassus, Orlandus Lassus, Orlande de Lattre, and Roland de Lattre.
- An uncorroborated story claims he was kidnapped three times because of the singular beauty of his singing voice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What musical school is Orlando di Lasso associated with?
He is the chief representative of the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school. Alongside William Byrd, Palestrina, and Victoria, he ranks among the leading voices of the later Renaissance.
Why is Orlando di Lasso important in music history?
His enormous and stylistically diverse body of work gave him unprecedented popularity across Europe during his lifetime. Music historians place him at the pinnacle of late Renaissance polyphony, on par with Palestrina, Byrd, and Victoria.
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