Guilielmus Messaus, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Guilielmus Messaus

musician

Date of Birth: 02-Jul-1589

Place of Birth: Antwerp, Flemish Region, Belgium

Date of Death: 08-Mar-1640

Profession: composer

Nationality: Belgium

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Guilielmus Messaus (or Messaulx, Missau) (bapt.
2 July 1589 – 8 March 1640) was a Flemish composer who was born and died in Antwerp. Between 1609 and 1610 he was a sacristan of St.
Joris and in 1613 he became a schoolmaster and sacristan at St.
Wllibrordus.
From 1614 to 1618 he was also a teacher at St Walburgis and St Andries, but was dismissed for bad behaviour.
From before 1620 he was a singer and a choir-master at St Walburgis, a post he held until his death.
We know this because in 1620 he was temporarily suspended due to refusing to perform a plainchant mass instead of a polyphonic one for the burial of a child. Messaus composed at least 14 masses, 57 motets, Dutch hymns, a canon and 3 secular songs in Dutch.
He is now remembered mostly as a very productive musical arranger of cantiones natalitiae (Christmas songs), which were very popular in the Low Countries.
He was also an active copyist of motets and harpsichord music.