Mouton, Jean

▪ French composer

born c. 1459, Haut-Wignes, Fr.

died Oct. 30, 1522, Saint-Quentin

      composer in the Franco-Flemish style of the early 16th century, known for his sacred music.

      Mouton was a chorister in Nesle (1477–83) and worked in Amiens and Grenoble from 1500 to 1502 before joining the French royal chapel under Louis XII and Francis I. He apparently studied with Josquin des Prez, and he taught Adriaan Willaert. His music leads away from the older style, which falls into clear sections, and instead emphasizes a continuous flow of vocal lines from beginning to end, with pervasive melodic imitation. He was a master of the technique of canon. His output is largely masses and motets, published during his life by printers such as Ottaviano dei Petrucci and Pierre Attaignant.

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