Attaignant, Pierre

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Attaignant, Pierre

Attaignant, Pierre, important French music publisher; b. probably near Couai, c. 1494; d. Paris, 1551 or 1552. He settled in Paris by 1514. In 1525 he began to publish music, and from 1537 to 1547 he served as the music printer to the king. Attaignant invented a new method of publishing music whereby staff segments and notes were combined and printed in a single impression. He was thus the first music publisher to succeed at mass production. He publ. numerous chansons, Masses, motets, Psalms, and instrumental pieces.

Bibliography

D. Heartz, P. A., Royal Printer of Music (Berkeley, 1969).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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