Investigation into Orlando di Lasso
A prominent figure of the late Renaissance, Lasso was renowned for his extraordinary productivity, versatility, and universal appeal as a composer. He created over 2,000 pieces across all the major Latin, French, Italian, and German vocal genres of his era, including 530 motets, 175 Italian madrigals and villanellas, 150 French chansons, and 90 German lieder. Interestingly, none of Lasso’s works were strictly instrumental, nor is there evidence that he composed any—a surprising omission for such a prolific artist during a time when instrumental music was gaining prominence throughout Europe. The German publisher Adam Berg honored Lasso’s legacy by dedicating five volumes of his Patrocinium musicum (published between 1573 and 1580) to the composer’s works.
Orlando de Lasso was born in Mons in the County of Hainaut, Habsburg Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). Information about his early years is scanty, although some uncorroborated stories have survived, the most famous of which is that he was kidnapped three times because of the singular beauty of his singing voice. At the age of twelve, he left the Low Countries with Ferrante Gonzaga and went to Mantua, Sicily, and later Milan (from 1547 to 1549). While in Milan, he made the acquaintance of the madrigalist Spirito l’Hoste da Reggio, a formative influence on his early musical style.
He then worked as a singer and a composer for Costantino Castrioto in Naples in the early 1550s, and his first works are presumed to date from this time. Next he moved to Rome, where he worked for Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who maintained a household there, and in 1553, he became maestro di cappella of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the ecumenical mother church of Rome and a spectacularly prestigious post indeed for a man only twenty-one years old. However, he stayed there for only a year. (Palestrina would assume this post a year later, in 1555.)
No solid evidence survives for his whereabouts in 1554, but there are contemporary claims that he traveled in France and England. In 1555 he returned to the Low Countries and had his early works published in Antwerp (1555–1556). In 1556 he joined the court of Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria, who was consciously attempting to create a musical establishment on a par with the major courts in Italy. Lasso was one of several Netherlanders to work there, and by far the most famous. He evidently was happy in Munich and decided to settle there. In 1558 he married Regina Wäckinger, the daughter of a maid of honor of the Duchess. They had two sons, both of whom became composers, and his daughter married the painter Hans von Aachen. By 1563 Lasso had been appointed maestro di cappella, succeeding Ludwig Daser in the post. Lasso remained in the service of Albrecht V and his heir, Wilhelm V, for the rest of his life.
By the 1560s, Lasso had gained significant fame, attracting composers to Munich to study under him. Andrea Gabrieli traveled there in 1562 and may have stayed in the chapel for a year, while Giovanni Gabrieli possibly studied with him during the 1570s. Lasso’s reputation extended beyond the musical world—Emperor Maximilian II granted him nobility in 1570, an exceptional honor for a composer. Pope Gregory XIII knighted him in 1571, and King Charles IX of France invited him to visit in both 1571 and 1573.
Despite tempting offers from various monarchs and aristocrats to leave Munich for better opportunities, Lasso valued the stability and rich artistic environment of Albrecht’s court over financial incentives. In 1580, he declined an offer from the Duke of Electorate of Saxony for a position in Dresden, explaining, “I do not want to leave my house, my garden, and the other good things in Munich.
During the late 1570s and 1580s, Lasso made multiple trips to Italy, immersing himself in the latest artistic styles and trends. In Ferrara, a hub of avant-garde innovation, he likely listened to madrigals composed for the d’Este court. Despite this exposure, Lasso’s own style remained conservative, evolving to become simpler and more refined with age. By the 1590s, his health began to deteriorate, leading him to seek treatment from Dr. Thomas Mermann for what was termed “melancholia hypocondriaca.” Nonetheless, he continued composing and occasionally traveling.
His final masterpiece, often regarded as one of his finest, was a remarkable collection of twenty-one spiritual madrigals titled Lagrime di San Pietro (“Tears of St. Peter”). Dedicated to Pope Clement VIII, it was published posthumously in 1595. Lasso passed away in Munich on June 14, 1594—the same day his employer decided to terminate his position for financial reasons. He never received the dismissal letter. Lasso was laid to rest in Munich’s Alter Franziskaner Friedhof, a cemetery that was cleared of gravestones in 1789 and is now the location of Max-Joseph-Platz.