Maistre Jhan - Works and Influence

Works and Influence

While famous during his time, Jhan's work has largely faded into obscurity. He wrote in most of the genres current in the early 16th century, including, in sacred vocal music, masses (all but one of which are lost), motets, and lamentations. In style the sacred music is similar to the work of Josquin des Prez (died 1521), using imitative passages alternating with homophony. Jhan wrote his one surviving setting of the mass for the accession to the dukedom of Ercole II d'Este (1534); it uses cantus-firmus technique.

Jhan's secular music includes madrigals and at least one chanson. The madrigals appear in publications from 1530 to 1550; his five madrigals published in 1530, along with works by Verdelot, are part of the first book of madrigals ever to be published with that name. In 1542 three of his madrigals appear alongside composers such as Costanzo Festa, Francesco Corteccia, and Hubert Naich; the style of his works is similar to that of Verdelot, and represents the earliest stage of the genre, before it developed its peculiar individuality.