music
Italian composer from the beginning of the 15th century, deceased problably in the first days of January 1418. Very little is known of his life.
Surely, a native from Perugia, he seems to have made most of his career at the service of Pietro Filargos Candia (1340-1410), archbishop of Milan since 1402 and promoted to cardinal in 1405. Pietro had studied in Paris, before teaching theology at the Sorbonne; he was an enthusiastic francophile, something which in part explains the predominance of french style in Matteo's music.
In 1406, Matteo accompanies Pietro to Pistoia and Bologne, to be elected anti-pope: Alexander V. He remains in Milan to the service of Pietro's successor, John XXIII, returning to Milan after the deposition of the later in 1414. Matteo becomes then the first
magister capellæ — chapel master — of the
Milan Cathedral, by the time still under construction.
Matteo bequeathed us a significant number of works, all contained in the Modena manuscript, which presumably was written under his guidance. His works are both religious and profanes. He is a composer midway between the italian and french tradition, employing techniques from both. His music crosses not only geographical borders, but also temporal borders: some works are written in a style reminiscent of the 14th century; other incorporate the stylistic innovations of the 15th century, such as the greater attention given to the intelligibility of the text being sung, and a more harmonic conception of the polyphonic texture.
A striking example of Matteo's art is the
Gloria "En Attendant". It is based on a
ballad by Filippo da Caserta:
En Attendant, that was dedicated to
Bernabò Visconti, uncle of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, that was arrested and poisoned under his orders.
Bernabò's motto was
Souffrir m'estuet — Suffer, I must. It is a display of strength, and an
exaltation of life. If we are here, we must suffer, and that means being alive, otherwise we are dead.
The ballad has a verse
En attendant souffrit m'estuet grief payne — While waiting I must suffer grievous pain — that celebrates the nobility of Bernabò. Being at the same time a plaint and an
affirmation of his dignity: how he stoically endured his captivity while awaiting the visit of death. Although the tone of the Gloria is mostly plaintive, it ends with an affirmative Amen, with the choir underlining the
hopeful tone. This was a time when the great schism of the West — the coexistence of two popes, one in Rome and the other in Avignon — divided Christendom. The plaintive tone is also a request for the schism to end. Jill Feldman's performance is perfect, all the emotional
nuances behind each note are masterfully delivered.
Listen to this
masterpiece:
Know more about Matteo's art and the context in which it appears by reading the PDF document:
Learning to Love Early Music.
