Philippe Basiron
The only definitive date we have relating to Basiron’s life is 6 Feb. 1497, which is the date of Johannes Ockeghem’s death. Josquin Desprez ‘Déploration’ on the death of Ockeghem mentions among the musicians welcoming Ockeghem into paradise one “Barizon” . . . close enough to Basiron to conclude that Basiron died before Feb. 1497. So the two were more or less contemporaries in the 2nd half of the 15th century . . . possibly acquainted since the two works performed here are variants of Ockeghem’s chanson, “D’ung ultre amer”. Other details about Basiron’s life, and whether there are two or maybe three musicians answering to various forms of his name, have yet to be discovered.
D’ung aultre amer I
Attributed to Philippon this 4-part instrumental variant is found in a ms. in Bologna . . . Ockeghem’s chanson tune is in the recorder. Both of these variants are transcribed in Richard Taruskin’s ‘D’ung aultre amer’, Ogni Sorte Editions, which contains 18 different treatments of Ockeghem’s chanson. In the tradition of Franco-Flemish contrapuntal virtuosity the two middle voices of this variant are in canon at a 4th separated by half a beat . . . played by plucked strings.
Basiron: D'ung aultre amer I
D’ung aultre amer II
Basiron wrote a complete mass setting based on the folk-song “L’homme armé’. Here the two borrowed themes are cleverly intertwined in this 4-voice instrumental variant of Ockeghem’s chanson, which takes precedence, while the folk-song is treated rather freely. More contrapuntal virtuosity! Taruskin’s source is a late 15th century manuscript in Bologna.