Le Jeune, Claude

▪ French composer

born c. 1527, Valenciennes, Burgundian Hainaut [now in France]

died c. 1600, , Paris

      French composer known for his psalm settings and for his musique mesurée, a style reflecting the long and short syllables of classical prosody.

      Le Jeune was choirmaster to François d'Anjou, brother of Henry III, and later was music master to Henry IV. He died a Huguenot. Le Jeune was associated with the poet Antoine de Baïf (Baïf, Jean-Antoine de) who, following the theories of vers mesurés of Pierre Ronsard, sought to revive the poetry of classical antiquity. Compositions in musique mesurée were settings of poetry in vers mesurés with long and short syllables matched by long- and short-note values. Le Jeune also composed a famous series of metrical psalm settings from the Genevan Psalter, published posthumously in 1606. His other works include madrigals, chansons, and motets.

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