A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Waelrant, Hubert

by Reginald Lane-Poole

WAELRANT, Hubert, one of the most distinguished of the second generation of the great Flemish masters, was born about 1518 at Tongerloo,^[1] in the district of Kempenland (North Brabant). An old tradition relates that he went in his youth to Venice, and there studied under the guidance of his great fellow-countryman, Adrian Willaert; but this lacks confirmation, and may very possibly be as apocryphal as the similar story usually told with reference to Sweelinck's sojourn at Venice, and the lessons he had from Zarlino later on in the century. [See Sweelinck.] Be this as it may, Waelrant is found in the year 1544 established in Antwerp, as a singer in the choir of the chapel of the Virgin at Notre Dame. Three years later he had a school of music there, where he introduced a new method of solmisation, that known as bocedisation or the voces Belgicæ.^[2] [See Solmisation; Voces Belgicæ.] He is said now to have entered partnership with J. de Laet as a publisher of music; but this was more probably not until 1554.^[3] The association lasted until 1567, when de Laet retired or died. Waelrant was twice married, first in 1551, and again before 1568; by his first wife he had six children. He died at Antwerp in his seventy-eighth year,^[4] Nov. 19, 1595.

Among contemporaries Waelrant was held in very high repute, not only as a teacher of music, but more especially as a composer, chiefly of madrigals and motets. Guicciardini, in his 'Descrittione di tutti i Paesi bassi'^[5] includes him in a list of the greatest living musicians of his time. His first musical works were 'Chansons' published by Phalesius at Louvain, 1553–1554, and 'Il primo Libro de Madrigali e Canzoni francesi a cinque voci; Anversa, Huberto Waelrant e J. Latio, 1558.' It is remarkable however that of the numerous volumes of music which he published—Psalms, 'Cantiones Sacræ,' 'Jardin musiqual,' etc.—only two (of the 'Jardin') include compositions by himself. He seems in fact to have preferred to publish either by Tylman Susato or Phalesius. Seven of the collections of the latter contain works by Waelrant. One of these was also edited by him under the following title, 'Symphonia angelica di diversi eccellentissimi Musici, a quattro, cinque, e sei voci: Nuovamente raccolta per Uberto Waelrant, 1565.'^[6]

[ R. L. P. ]

1. The discovery of Waelrant's birthplace is due to the researches of M. A. Goovaerts, Histoire et Bibliographie de la Typographie musicale dans les Pays-bas, pp. 38–40, Antwerp 1880. A confusion with a namesake had led to the opinion previously universally accepted, that the musician was a native of Antwerp: see Fétis, s.v.; Mendel and Belssmann, Musikalisches Conversations-Lexikon, xi. 233, 2nd ed. 1880; and also E. vander Straeten, La Musique aux Pays-bas, iii. 201–204, 1875.
2. See F. Sweertius, Athenas Belgicæ p. 350, Antwerp 1628, folio; vander Straeten, i. 62, 1867; Mendel and Beissmann. xi. 234.
3. Goovaerts, p. 42.
4. Sweertius, l.c.
5. Page 42, ed. Antwerp. 1588 folio.
6. For the complete bibliography see the Goovaerts, p. 203–277.