WILLAERT, ADRIEN. — Composer, born in Flanders (in Bruges or Roulers) between 1480 and 1490, died in Venice on 7 December 1562.
After a brief stay at the court of Ladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary, he is found, in 1527, directing the musical chapel of S. Marco in Venice, where he remained for a full 36 years, until his death.
The celebrated Venetian school of polyphony, which was to give the art the coloristic richness of harmonic chromaticism, set against the plastic power of the dialogue between the two vocal choirs and the two organs, traces its origins to him. Indeed, he applied the practice of the double choir with particular skill, especially in the Psalms belonging to the Vespers to be sung by one or two choirs (Venice 1550); but before these W. had printed (1536) the Liber quinque missarum, containing five Masses for four voices, as well as the various collections of motets and hymns, likewise for four voices, which appeared at different times alongside his numerous secular and instrumental vocal works (“Ricercari” for organ, etc.).