The Prosopography of Renaissance Singers (PCR, after its original French title: Prosopographie des chantres de la Renaissance) is a database of biographies of professional singers employed in European princely chapels and major churches from c. 1350 to c. 1600. To this day, the database collects about 4500 entries which offer a wide variety of career profiles and information, from the variant names of the singers to their dates and places of activities, together with their full detailed biographies. Though the PCR inevitably includes most composers of the late middle ages and early modern period, its priority is to feed the biographies of their fellow colleagues who were employed in the same establishments but, not having been identified as authors of musical works, have received much less attention from musicologists and historians. The PCR is an ongoing project. Draft biographies stored in the back office are periodically validated for online publication and it is regularly enriched with new entries.
Originating as en enlargment of the prosopographical appendices of David Fiala's doctoral dissertation on the musicians of the court of Burgundy in the later 15th century (2002), the project began in 2007 with a research campaign funded by the French National Agency of Research (ANR), in collaboration with the University of Rouen, the Centre d’études supérieures de la Renaissance (CESR) of the University of Tours, the CNRS and Le STUDIUM agency. The database primarily collects the results of biographical research concerning singers active in institutions of France, the Low Countries and Italy, but also considers the activities of singers in Spain, Germany and other European countries. There are different kinds of entries in the database. The user will find entries in progress, which propose just a few pieces of information, as well as complete entries, available in French and English. The user can query these by full-text search. Such queries are more successful in French than in English, as a large number of biographies are in French.
The PCR data model rests on the principle of biographies structured as series of events. An event is a nexus of data situated in time and connecting an individual to various elements such as : event type, role, place, institution. The production of events being the most time-consuming task of the PCR, they are only progressively attached to the biographies. The quality and precision of the results of advanced searches are directly depending on the availibity of corresponding events.
Beside its bibliography of several hundreds of references, the PCR maintains its own reference list of archival repositories accross Europe, while references to the documentation kept in libraries follow RISM sigla. It also maintains generic tools such as a multilingual thesaurus of given names (and their diminutives) which facilitates identifications accross different contexts, or tables of music patrons and musical establishments.
Musicologists interested in contributing are invited to contact the responsible of the project, David Fiala.
Files
Sample of 65 PCR bilingual biographies in French and English, December 2008
Contributors
Roles: Composer
Roles: Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Member of a court chapel (lower ranked officer)
Roles: Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Choirmaster ; Composer ; Instrumentalist ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Singer ; Teacher
Roles: Cleric ; Composer ; Member of a confraternity ; Member of a princely/private household ; Singer
Roles: Copyist/Scribe
Roles: Priest ; Singer
Roles: Master of choirboys
Roles: Choirboy ; Singer
Roles: Composer ; Instrumentalist ; Member of a princely/private household ; Singer
Roles: Dedicator
Roles: Bookseller ; Composer ; Instrumentalist ; Music printer ; Singer
Roles: Composer ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Singer
Roles: Bassus ; Member of a church (musician) ; Priest ; Singer
Roles: Music printer ; Printer/Publisher
Roles: Choirmaster ; Composer ; Organist
Roles: Master of choirboys
Roles: Copyist/Scribe ; Music copyist
Roles: Composer
Roles: Bassus ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Monastic Order ; Priest ; Singer
Roles: Music printer
Roles: Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Choirmaster ; Cleric ; Composer ; Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a church (lower ranked officer) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Singer
Roles: Member of a court chapel (higher ecclesiastic)
Roles: Member of a church (musician) ; Member of a court chapel (musician)
Roles: Composer
Roles: Composer
Roles: Composer
Roles: Choirmaster ; Cleric ; Composer ; Instrumentalist ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a church (lower ranked officer) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Singer
Roles: Composer
Roles: Composer
Roles: Dedicatee/Owner
Roles: Composer ; Master of choirboys
Roles: Choirmaster ; First Chaplain ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a court chapel (musician)
Roles: Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Priest ; Singer
Roles: Composer ; Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Organist ; Singer
Roles: Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a court chapel (musician)
Roles: Choirboy ; Choirmaster ; Cleric ; Composer ; Illegitimate birth ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a church (lower ranked officer) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Member of a princely/private household ; Priest
Roles: Composer ; Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a church (lower ranked officer)
Roles: Involved in a criminal case ; Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Lyricist-Poet ; Printer/Publisher ; Writer/Scientist
Roles: Choirboy ; Cleric ; Composer ; Illegitimate birth ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a church (lower ranked officer) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Singer
Roles: Composer ; Master of choirboys ; Member of a court chapel (musician)
Roles: Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Organist
Roles: Member of a church (lower ranked officer) ; Priest
Roles: Bookseller ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Music printer ; Printer/Publisher
Roles: Choirboy
Roles: Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a court chapel (musician)
Roles: Member of a court chapel (musician)
Roles: Organist
Roles: Illegitimate birth ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a church (musician) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Singer ; Tenor
Roles: Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Priest ; Singer
Roles: Choirboy ; Member of a church (musician) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Singer
Roles: Member of a court chapel (musician)
Roles: Lyricist-Poet ; Member of a church (lower ranked officer) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Member of a princely/private household
Roles: Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon)
Roles: Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Member of a princely/private household ; Monastic Order
Roles: Member of a court chapel (lower ranked officer)
Roles: Composer ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Member of a princely/private household
Roles: Composer ; Organist
Roles: Choirboy ; Composer ; Dedicatee/Owner ; Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Member of a princely/private household ; Priest
Roles: Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (musician) ; Member of a court chapel (musician)
Roles: Organist
Roles: Dedicatee/Owner ; Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Composer ; Monastic Order
Roles: Composer ; Member of a church (musician) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Singer
Roles: Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (musician) ; Priest
Roles: Choirmaster ; Composer ; Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (lower ranked officer) ; Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Composer ; Dedicator
Roles: Member of a court chapel (musician)
Roles: Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Priest
Roles: Member of a church (lower ranked officer) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Priest
Roles: Member of a church (musician) ; Tenor
Roles: Bookseller ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Music printer ; Printer/Publisher
Roles: Composer ; Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Composer ; Monastic Order ; Music copyist
Roles: Choirmaster ; Composer ; Member of a court chapel (musician)
Roles: Choirboy ; Singer
Roles: Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Involved in a criminal case ; Member of a church (musician) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Singer ; Tenor
Roles: Dedicatee/Owner ; Lyricist-Poet
Roles: Choirmaster ; Composer ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Priest
Roles: Composer
Roles: Member of a confraternity ; Member of a court chapel (musician)
Roles: Cleric ; Member of a court chapel (musician)
Roles: Instrumentalist ; Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (musician) ; Music copyist ; Organist ; Priest
Roles: Choirmaster ; Composer ; Master of choirboys
Roles: Choirmaster ; Cleric ; Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a church (lower ranked officer) ; Priest ; Singer
Roles: Dedicatee/Owner ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon)
Roles: Composer ; Master of choirboys ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Member of a princely/private household
Roles: Member of a church (musician) ; Organist
Roles: Composer
Roles: Member of a court chapel (musician)
Roles: Member of a church (musician) ; Tenor
Roles: Employer/Patron ; Music printer
Roles: Choirboy ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon)
Roles: Composer
Roles: Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a church (musician) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Tenor
Roles: Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (musician) ; Priest
Roles: Member of a church (lower ranked officer) ; Member of a church (musician) ; Priest ; Tenor
Roles: Master of choirboys
Roles: Organist
Roles: Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Singer
Roles: Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Member of a church (musician) ; Tenor
Roles: Member of a church (musician) ; Singer
Roles: Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a court chapel (musician)
Roles: Member of a church (musician) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Tenor
Roles: Cleric ; Composer ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Priest
Roles: Bassus ; Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a church (musician) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Music copyist ; Priest ; Singer ; Tenor
Roles: Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a church (lower ranked officer) ; Member of a church (musician) ; Member of a princely/private household ; Music copyist
Roles: Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Member of a princely/private household ; Noble birth
Roles: Composer
Roles: Composer
Roles: Illegitimate birth ; Master of choirboys ; Member of a church (lower ranked officer) ; Member of a church (musician)
Roles: Composer ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Organist ; Singer
Roles: Member of a church (lower ranked officer) ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Member of a princely/private household ; Music copyist ; Priest
Roles: Composer ; Member of a court chapel (musician) ; Singer
http://preprod-ricercar.cesr.univ-tours.fr/projects/5/
Fiala David, Prosopography of Renaissance Singers (2007-...), in RicercarDataLab [http://preprod-ricercar.cesr.univ-tours.fr/projects/5/] (accessed 30 May 2025).