The forgotten polyphonist Josquin Baston is being rediscovered. Little is known about the composer's life. A mysterious veil shrouds his name. Baston's body of work is characterized by charm, quality, and expressiveness. Floris De Rycker and his ensemble Ratas del viejo Mundo present a tribute to this Franco-Flemish composer with their latest album.
Time to introduce this mysterious figure first... Who is this forgotten polyphonist named Baston? Already his first name raises questions. Possible options are Josquin, Joannes, Jean, or Jo. In the literature, the preference goes to Josquin. Therefore, this spelling is also used in this article.
Josquin Baston (1495-1550) presumably belonged to the fourth generation of polyphonists. This made him a contemporary of, among others, Adrian Willaert and Cipriano de Rore, two composers we know more about today. Nothing is known about his birthplace, but musicologists assume he came from the Duchy of Brabant. His two publications with chansons and motets were indeed published in Antwerp (by Tielman Susato) and Leuven (Petrus Phalesius).
Nothing is known about Baston's musical training either, but based on his style, it is suspected that he made a journey to Italy. As for his professional career, various hypotheses circulate. Baston is believed to have served at the court chapel of Polish King Sigismund II August in Krakow. Baston apparently traveled extensively and built an international reputation for himself. He also appears to have been active for considerable periods at other European courts such as Copenhagen, Stockholm, Austria, Saxony, and Brunswick-Lüneburg. Once again, nothing is known about Baston's death.
So many questions remain in this composer's story. However, there is no doubt about the quality of his work. Baston received exceptional recognition from English music historian Charles Burney (1726-1814). In his A General History of Music: From the Earliest Ages to the Present Period, Volume 3 (1789) — which is incidentally one of the earliest attempts to compile a music history — Burney lists the names of "the greatest musicians from Flanders and the Netherlands." In this list, Burney mentions the polyphonist Baston alongside Willaert, de Rore, and Lupus Lupi, among others. More than a century later, Baston's name surfaces again. In 1907, Polish musicologist Aleksander Poliński found his name in the archives. However, it is only with this new album by Ratas del viejo Mundo that Baston steps into the spotlight.
The album opens with a Flemish song A guild has his maiden [track 01]. It is a cheerful secular song. The faster tempo also returns in other secular songs on the album such as A guild goes quickly past toward Ghent [track 08]. All secular, Flemish songs contain this light and cheerful tone with one exception. Suffer and endure [track 13] is set in a slower tempo, which better suits the meaning of the text.
The French and Latin songs are in contrast all characterized by a slower tempo. Languishing makes me [track 02] is a beautiful four-part chanson. In this performance by Ratas del viejo Mundo, a long instrumental introduction precedes the sung text. The ensemble's singers deliver the text with appropriate intensity. In the network of voices, the text remains clear and comprehensible throughout. A result of Baston's brilliant text treatment combined with accomplished execution.
Also in the Latin song After the Sabbath had passed [track 03] brings Ratas del viejo Mundo to life with great artistic flair in Baston's musical genius. In this slow song, texture is played with. The voices set in the song and the instrumentation joins in. Imitative, polyphonic and homorhythmic sections bring variation to the weave of musical lines.
Remarkable for Baston's French and Latin songs is that they are not composed in the usual fixed forms . This distinguishes this composer from his contemporaries. The three common fixed forms in the 16th century were a rondeau, a virelai and a ballade. These three song genres were characterized by a fixed musical form. Baston uses none of these standard forms but opts for a freer way of composing that was customary for motets. Stylistically, his secular and religious music are almost identical to each other. The key word is almost.
The difference lies in the details. These songs are much shorter than motets would be, but there are other, more subtle differences that Ratas del viejo Mundo brings out beautifully in these recordings to still make the difference audible. The musical phrasing is clearly delineated and the rhythmic accents are also highlighted. The members of Ratas del viejo Mundo clearly showcase not only their musical interpretation skills but also their deep knowledge of Baston's style and repertoire. The perfect recipe for a pleasant listening experience.
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- WHO: Rats of the Old World
- WHAT: Baston: Flemish and French Chansons
- PUBLICATIONS: Ramée RAM2103
- ORDER: Cypres CYP8614
