Janequin, La Guerre or La Bataille ("The Battle of Marignano")

Schola Antiqua performs Clement Janequin's "La Guerre," on March 26, 2017. The composer spent much of his life in church positions and was well known in the first half of the sixteenth century for his programmatic pieces, which required crisp declamation of texts from singers to keep pace with the lively rhythms he set. In this famous battle piece, Janequin hails the French victory under King Francis I at the Battle of Marignano of 1515, which pitted the French against the Old Swiss Confederacy. The song is in two clear parts; the first is the run up to the battle--the call to arms. The second part is the composer’s attempt at the depiction of the battlefield itself in sound. Footsteps, shouts, and percussive sounds of horses and armor pepper the score. Finally victory ("victoire") is declared and all glory given to Francis.