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Tielman Susato

Tielman Susato Gravure
Tielman Susato offers his Chanson book to Maria of Hungary, governess of the Netherlands
woodcut from
vingt et six chansons musicales nouvelles
printed in Antwerp by Tielman Susato
in 1545.

Tielman (or Tylman) Susato (c. 1510/15 – after 1570) was a Renaissance composer, instrumentalist and publisher of music in Antwerp.

In 1543, he founded the first music publishing house using movable music type in the Low Countries. He could be found in Antwerp, “At the Sign of the Crumhorn.” Until Susato set up his press in Antwerp, music printing had been done mainly in Italy, France and Germany.

Susato was also an accomplished composer. He wrote (and published) several books of masses and motets which are in the typical imitative polyphonic style of the time.  He also wrote two books of chansons which were specifically designed to be sung by young, inexperienced singers: they are for only two or three voices.  Most important of his publications in terms of distribution and influence were the Souterliedekens of Clemens non Papa, which were metrical psalm settings in Dutch, using the tunes of popular songs. They were hugely popular in the Netherlands in the 16th century.

Susato also was a prolific composer of instrumental music, and much of it is performed today. He produced one book of dance music in 1551, Het derde musyck boexken … alderhande danserye, composed of pieces in simple but artistic arrangement. Most of these pieces are dance forms (allemandes, galliards, and so forth).

Often Susato dedicated his publications to prominent citizens of the town. Sometimes he devoted an entire volume to the works of one composer (for example Manchicourt and Crecquillon). Not surprisingly, he seems to have favored other Flemish composers as subjects for publication. He was also one of the first to publish music of the acclaimed late Renaissance composer Orlande de Lassus.