The Court of Burgundy: Conquerors and Musicians

This anonymous 16th-century painting is entitled "The Siege of Neuss," and it depicts Charles the Bold's camp. Public Domain

Art needs business; less acknowledged is that business (or politics) needs art. Good patrons understand that cultural prestige can enhance their authority, and even legitimate it.

Modern patrons might take a few lessons from the Dukes of Burgundy, the most important patrons of music in 15th-century Europe. Descended from the French House of Valois, they governed a state that no longer exists, but was glorious while it lasted.

The rise and fall of the duchy of Burgundy is a fascinating story that shows how art and power are not as distinct as they are usually seen today.

Philip the Good

During the Hundred Years’ War, the Dukes of Burgundy alternatively sided with England and France, capitalizing on the political instability to expand their territories. Originally a humble fiefdom in central France, the duchy grew to include northeastern France, Luxembourg, and Lorraine, as well as much of present-day Belgium and the Netherlands. To heighten their political power, they sought to make the Burgundian court the most extravagant, flourishing, European cultural center.

In the modern world, artists make their way by securing grants or awards, and relying on the media to spread awareness of their work. In the bygone aristocratic age, they depended on wealthy individuals, often royalty, to butter their bread. Usually, an artist hoped the leader of his kingdom had good taste.

Philip "the Good" of Burgundy, circa 1455, by Rogier van der Weyden. Public Domain

Fortunately for the subjects of Burgundy, their able rulers did. Above all, these dukes loved music. Philip the Good (1396–1467) spent considerable resources in discovering and training musical talent through his territories. He maintained a chapel of singers which Jean Molinet, the official chronicler of the late Burgundian court, described as being “filled with such delightful and harmonious voices that, apart from celestial glory, there was no comparable joy.” Philip also kept a band of minstrels comprised of the best musicians in Europe. Since the Burgundian court had no central location, these musicians traveled with him as he oversaw his various domains.

Binchois

The most important composer in Philip’s court was Gilles de Bins, better known as “Binchois.” Knowledge of his life is scanty, but he was probably of Belgian descent. He associated with English musicians, incorporating a style pioneered by John Dunstable, which emphasized a consonant harmony employing successions of third and sixth notes, while avoiding perfect intervals of fifths.

This English innovation became the core of what is now referred to as the “Burgundian school” of music. Binchois’s central position at Philip’s chapel and court meant that he could spread this style to others, who, in turn, carried it to courts throughout Europe.

Since his job function was mostly to perform during church services and court gatherings, Binchois is best known for his “chansons,” or French poems set to music for multiple voices, usually three. His music blended secular and sacred styles in a way that was unusual for his time. He was also skilled at playing the instruments he wrote for, including the harp, lute, vielle (a sort of medieval fiddle), and wind instruments.

Binchois (right) holding a small harp and Guillaume Dufay (left) beside a portative organ in a circa 1440 illuminated manuscript copy of Martin le Franc's "Le Champion Des Dames." Public Domain

Though Binchois was not as innovative as Dunstable or his other great contemporary, Guillaume Dufay, his pieces were more often copied and rearranged, and his influence was more direct.

Charles, the Last Duke of Burgundy

The glory days of the duchy came crashing down with the accession of Philip’s son Charles the Bold, one of the most interesting personalities of Renaissance Europe. Charles was not satisfied with being a mere fiefdom of France. He wanted to turn this conglomerate of loosely connected territories into a legitimate kingdom and crown himself king. Declaring independence, he made administrative reforms and undertook a series of aggressive military campaigns to unite his lands. His 10-year reign beginning in 1467 was filled with conquests until his enemies in Austria, Switzerland, and Lorraine united against him. After a series of defeats, he was killed during the Battle of Nancy in 1477.

Portrait of Charles the Bold, circa 1454, by Rogier van der Weyden. Public Domain

Though reckless and sometimes ruthless, the last duke of Burgundy was a cultivated Renaissance prince. According to Molinet, Charles was apparently “more enamoured of music than anyone else,” his zeal surpassing even that of his father Philip. Charles was even a composer of chansons and motets in his own right. A Milanese ambassador once noted that the Duke was “a perfect musician,” but that he “does not have a good voice,” and only sang in private.

With the death of Binchois in 1460, the greatest composer associated with Burgundy became Dufay. After widely traveling through Europe, he became the head of a famous choir at Cambrai cathedral, in France. Like Binchois, Dufay was known for both secular chansons and sacred music.

A record of the time reports that Dufay once performed a polyphonic motet composed by Charles, who traveled to the cathedral for the occasion. Sadly, none of Charles’s music has survived, with the possible exception of two songs. According to the chronicler Olivier de la Marche, though, the duke’s pieces were “well constructed and well notated.” We can infer that la Marche was telling the truth, because he repeats the observation about Charles’s bad singing voice.

Music and the Military

Charles loved music so much that his band of minstrels accompanied him on his military campaigns. While Dufay did not tag along, the musician did gift some of his personal manuscripts to the Duke so that Charles could play them in camp. During the siege of Neuss in 1475, Molinet wrote that the air “resounded” with “melodious sounds, brass instruments, drums, trumpets, clairons, flutes, hurdy-gurdies [a string instrument played by cranking a wheel] and chalumeaux [an early woodwind instrument]).” This apparently had a positive effect on soldiers’ morale, as Molinet also tells us that the harmony was “so delightful” that it “drove away all melancholy.”

Since the siege was unsuccessful (along with Charles’s other campaigns during the last three years of his reign), we are left to wonder: Did such an abundance of celebratory music decrease the Burgundian army’s fighting spirit? While we will never know, it is fun to speculate. This is also the reason why we know little about the works Guillaume Dufay composed in the last few years of his life. When the duke was defeated, Dufay’s personal manuscripts were lost forever, having never been copied.

Charles’s downfall had a profound effect on European politics. His daughter Mary wedded Maximilian I, the Holy Roman Emperor, and the Burgundian state was dissolved into its original neighboring kingdoms. Mary continued to maintain the chapel of singers founded by her grandfather, however, and provided patronage to another generation of composers.

Burgundy may be gone forever, but its musical legacy lives on.

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