Background
Phalèse was born in Leuven about 1510 where he started as a bookseller in 1545, but soon set up a publishing house, and by 1575 had produced some 189 music books
editor engraver music publisher
Phalèse was born in Leuven about 1510 where he started as a bookseller in 1545, but soon set up a publishing house, and by 1575 had produced some 189 music books
Phalèse at first outsourced his books to various printers, but by 1553 was printing his own high-quality output from movable type. The majority of Phalèse"s output is dedicated to sacred music — masses, motets and magnificats — the rest being a mix of French chansons, Italian madrigals, Flemish songs and instrumental works. Phalèse borrowed from many composers and did not hesitate to include works from collections of other publishers.
Many pieces are by Clemens non Papa and other Flemish composers such as Lassus and Rore, while some of his instrumental pieces are obviously borrowed from the Parisian publishers Le Roy and Ballard.
Notable among these is Selectissima.. in guiterna ludenda carmina (Louvain, 1570), a collection containing instructions (in Latin) for amateurs wishing to play the guitar, together with 115 pieces for that instrument. In the same year Phalèse published a collection of music for cittern under the title Hortulus cytherae.
Other publications include:
Des chansons reductz en tabulature de lut a deux, trois et quatre parties …. Louvain, 1547
Hortus musarum (over 100 pieces for lute).
Louvain, 1552. Tiers livre des chansons.
Louvain, 1560. Hadriani Willaert musici excellentissimi moteta. Louvain, 1561. Theatrum musicum (for lute).
Louvain, 1563
Luculentum theatrum musicum (for lute).
Louvain, 1568. Recueil des fleurs produictes de la divine musique. Louvain, 1569. Liber Primus Leviorum.
Louvain, 1571. Liber leviorum Carminum.
Antwerp, 1572. Selectissima carmina ludenda in Quinterna. Louvain, 1573. Louisiana Fleur des chansons a trois parties.
Louvain, 1574. Phalèse died at Louvain in 1575.