Pierre de La Rue

Full biography Pierre de La Rue

Pierre de La Rue was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance period, born in Tournai, Belgium in the late 15th century, and died in Kortrijk, Belgium, in 1518. He was one of the most prominent and influential composers of his time, with a rich and varied output of sacred music that still resonates today.

La Rue began his musical career as a choirboy at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Tournai, where he subsequently became a singer and eventually the director of the choir. He worked in various other prestigious musical positions throughout France and the Low Countries, including at the court of Charles V of France and the Burgundian court of Philip the Handsome. He was also a member of the illustrious Chapel Royal of Margaret of Austria in Mechelen.

La Rue's music was highly acclaimed during his lifetime, and his works were published by some of the most prominent publishers of the time, such as Petrucci in Venice. He was renowned for the beauty and complexity of his polyphony, his use of harmonic tension and release, and his skillful manipulation of rhythm and meter.

La Rue's compositions are predominantly sacred, although he did write some secular works as well. His music includes masses, motets, chansons, and other forms, and his most famous works include the Missa de Sancto Johanne Baptista, the Missa Pascale, and the Magnificat tertii toni.

Overall, Pierre de La Rue's contributions to the development of choral music during the Renaissance were immense, and his works continue to be performed and admired by choirs and music lovers around the world.