Johannes Prioris

Johannes Prioris (c. 1460 – c. 1514) was a Netherlandish composer of the Renaissance. He was one of the first composers to write a polyphonic setting of the Requiem Mass. On the basis of documents surrounding Saint-Sauveur in Blois, Theodor Dumitrescu has argued that Prioris is to be identified with the composer “Denis Prieur,” making his Latin name “Dionysius Prioris.” The name “Johannes” is attested in a single source. He may have been born in Brabant. Very little is known about his life, except what can be inferred by the distribution of his manuscripts, and from his musical style. There is some evidence that he spent time in Rome as a singer at St. Peter’s, since a similar name to his appears in the account ledgers, and his music appears in seven separate manuscript sources in the Vatican archives. Some time after 1500 he probably moved to France, since he is twice called the maître de chapelle to King Louis XII; once in a letter from Ferrara, and once by Jean d’Auton. He probably died before King Louis XII (1515) since there was a new maître de chapelle for the king’s funeral ceremonies. Prioris wrote six masses, of which five are still extant, including a famous Requiem, whic