John Dunstable: The Man, The Legend, The Composer

John Dunstable was an English composer, astronomer, and mathematician who lived in the early 15th century. He was the most prominent English composer of his time; little known in England but widely acclaimed on the continent. He has been credited with numerous musical innovations as well as providing a major influence for later composers, and composing numerous consonanally-pleasing pieces. Here is to John Dunstable, the man who was acclaimed in his won time and influence the present.

The Man

Very little is known about the man who is known among different sources as John Dunstable, Dunstaple, Dunstapell, or Dumstable. He is assumed to have been born about 1390 based on the dates of his earliest known works, 1410 to 1420. Ironically, the only well known biographical fact regarding the man is the date of his death, December 24, 1453. This date is established by the following Latin epitaph which was recorded by Stow in St. Stephen’s, Walbrook (the resting place of John Dunstable) before it was burned in the Great Fire of London:

Clauditur hoc tumulo qui coelum pectore clausit
Dunstaple Joannes. Astrorum conscius ille
Indice novit Urania abscondita pandere coeli.
Hic vir erat tua laus, tua lux, tibi musica princeps
Quique tuas dulces per mundum sparserat artes.
Anno Mil. C. quarter semel L. tria jungito Christi
Pride natalem, sidus transmigrat ad astra.
Suscipiant proprium civem coeli sibi cives.

The epitaph refers to Dunstable as the “Prince of music” and dates this death in the statement, “In the year 1453, on the day before Christ’s birthday, the star passed over into the heavens.” It also refers to Dunstable as an astronomer and mathematician. (New Grove)

“John Dunstable” may have been “John Dunstavylle” who was associated with the Hereford Cathedral from 1419 to 1440. (New Oxford) However, the only evidence supporting this assumption is tenuous at best: An astronomy book now in St. John’s College, Cambridge bears the Latin inscription that translates roughly to, “This little book belonged to John Dunstable cñ. musician to the Duke of Bedford.” The abbreviation “cñ.” may translate to “canonicus” which would support Dunstable’s affiliation with a church institution, but this is far from clear. However, the inscription states quite clearly that John Dunstable was a musician of the Duke of Bedford. Two other pieces of circumstantial evidence support the inscription’s claim: the town of Dunstable is located in Bedfordshire and the Duke of Bedford owned St. Stephen’s church until 1432. (New Grove)

If Dunstable was indeed in the employ of the Duke of Bedford therein lies a possible explanation for Dunstable’s fame on the continent but relative obscurity in England. It is well known that the Duke of Bedford was regent of France during the minority of Henry V, 1422 to 1429 and then Governor of Normandy until his death in 1435. Therefore, it’s not too much to assume that the Duke’s musician, Dunstable, would have accompanied him to France during his regency. During these years it is quite possible that Dunstable grew to fame in the French courts while remaining mostly unknown in England. For example, an excellent opportunity for Dunstable to influence the Burgundian court could have come when the Duke of Bedford married the sister of Phillip the Good, Duke of Burgundy to solidify political ties. (New Grove) Further supporting evidence for this assumption can be found in the fact that Dunstable’s works abound in both Italian and German manuscripts and are relatively scarce in England. Also, Martin le Franc praised him in his famous poem Le champion des dames—The Champion of Ladies. The poem contains passages pointing to Dunstable’s influence of continental composers such as Dufay and Binchois and implies that he had reached the height of his influence by its penning around 1440. While both The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and The New Oxford Companion to Music believe this is scant evidence to support Dunstable’s physical presence on the continent neither can deny his musical influence. I find it hard to believe that he provided such a musical influence without actually being present on the continent … all the while remaining unknown in England. Furthermore, while the evidence may be scant, so is all of the evidence regarding this man’s life. So, if we are to assume anything, it might as well be based on what little we do know.

The above astronomical treatise as well as two others associated with Dunstable evidences his involvement in astronomy. Based on the dates of these treatises, especially one of the later at about 1438, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians postulates that the later part of his life may have been more concerned with astronomy than music.

The Legend

John Dunstable was privileged to be a man of fame and noted influence during his life; at least in the music world of the European continent, though not in his homeland of England. Furthermore, his influence didn’t die with him, nor did his fame. Now he can be seen as an important figure in the beginnings of the tide that washed away the Middle Ages and landed the Renaissance.

In His Own Time

The first known indication of Dunstable’s prominence in the music world is found in the before mentioned poem by le Franc. In his opinion, the later composers Dufay and Binchois owed their superiority over their French predecessors to their adopting Dunstable’s style. He believed that by “adopting the ‘English countenance’” the “found a new way of using ‘sprightly concords’ to create song of marvelous pleasure, joyous, and memorable.” (Hoppin) That’s quite some praise, but Dunstable’s music has several traits that lend to its almost immediate favor that will be discussed in a later section.

Beyond His Time

Perhaps the most memorable instance of praise for Dunstable beyond his death is that of the music theorist Johannes Tinctoris. Tinctoris mentions Dunstable three times, in his treatise Proportionale as well as others. In the Proportionale, written about 1477, Tinctoris states that only the music of the previous 40 years is even worth hearing and described Dunstable as “Primus inter pares” or first among equals. (Hoppin) He also attributes the success of composers such as Ockeghem, Regis, Busnois, Caron, and Faugues to having followed in the study of the English style of music begun by Dunstable.

Dunstable’s assent from important figure in the early stages of the Renaissance to a musical legend is undeserved. While he was the most prominent composer in the “English countenance” he was far from the only. His rise to legend stems from such silliness as Eloy d’Amerval describing a vision of heaven in his Livre de la déableris of 1508 were he “saw the great musicians, directed by Dunstable and Dufay, composing hymns of praise for the angels to sing.” (New Grove) Then there is the “misreading” of Tinctoris that caused one unfortunate scholar, Sebald Heyden, to believe that Dunstable was the father of valid polyphony. This horrible misunderstanding lead to the naming of Dunstable as the “inventor of counterpoint.”

Despite being credited for several achievements that were not his own, his well deserved accolades are firmly founded in his music

The Composer

So what is the foundation of Dunstable’s music? What was the base for all his fame, both deserved and undeserved?

Music and Structure

For a man we know so little of we are lucky to retain so much of his music. There is no way of knowing, for sure, how many pieces he composed or, for that matter, how many of those now credited to him are actually his. But we can be fairly sure that Dunstable composed large numbers of works based on the large quantities of widespread music attributed to him. Most of the works thought to have been composed by Dunstable can be found in the Italian manuscripts of Trent, Aosta, and Modena. Of the 64 works assigned to Dunstable in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians only 20 can be found in English sources, while 31 pieces can be found in the Biblioteca Estense in Modena alone. (International Cyclopedia) Again from the works listed in The New Grove 51 are uncontradicted in their ascription to Dunstable, this isn’t to say that these ascriptions are correct as the reliability of many sources is unknown. Often a piece appears without credit in one source and can only be accredited to Dunstable through another. When a contradiction between sources occurs, style is usually the determining factor in assigning credit and several of the 64 aforementioned pieces can be included in this category. Much the was Dunstable was incorrectly credited with the “invention of counterpoint,” albeit on a smaller scale, numerous pieces may be unjustly assigned to him. However, beyond a certain point we have no real way of knowing and must continue on as best as possible.

Of the 64 pieces credited to Dunstable 41 are ecclesiastical, single mass movements or sacred Latin texts. Eighteen are of the earlier form of isorhythmic motets and the remaining five are secular tunes, the majority of the isorhythmic motets where ecclesiastical, there is little else, besides volume, to distinguish Dunstable from other composers of the time. John Dunstable is thought to have been the first to compose an instrumental accompaniment for an ecclesiastical setting. By far the majority of his pieces are in three parts, except for some of the motets. Duets also play a large part in the structure of his pieces and may continue for up to a third of the composition in some works. But by far the largest difference between the music of Dunstable and that of his predecessors is his use of the “English countenance,” though he is far from alone in its use.

Style

What was the method of this famed “English countenance” and the reason for Dunstable’s fame? It is largely the beginnings of what has now become standardized in music classes throughout the west. The most defining characteristic, and most often emulated, is the avoidance of parallel fifths, fourths, and octaves in favor of parallel thirds and sixths. Music theory of today’s date derives from this the rule that parallel fifths, fourths, and octaves are allowed only in extremely special cases while parallel thirds and sixths are allowed. Another, perhaps equally, important characteristic of Dunstable’s music is the methods that he employed in writing his melodies. Much as in today’s practices, needless repetition of a melody is almost wholly absent. Instead, repetition is limited to two or three bars of simple and easily identified melodic sections, again exactly as today. Then there is the “singability” of Dunstable’s melodies. They avoid difficult to sing jumps and instead move by step or alternating step with third to create an easily sung line with interesting patterns. The beginnings of Dunstable’s pieces are often composed of a section of rising triads to the sixth of the scale, which is usually major. The third defining characteristic of the English school of music is the careful attention paid to the interaction and harmony of the different voices as well as the melody of the individual voices. Dunstable often harmonizes his voices in such a way that they interact in an almost hocket-like fashion for short periods. Finally, the tenor voice begins to play a more important rhythmical role in compositions and the cantus firmus line is often completely neglected or at least freely ornamented.

Conclusion

John Dunstable was a man who achieved great fame in his own right and time and influenced the present as well. His musical style, and that of his peers, is the basis of today’s western musical theory. That is truly Dunstable’s crowning achievement, to have worked as such an important part in the beginning of the Renaissance and today’s style of western music has secured his place in history.

Bibliography

1. “BINCHOIS, Gilles.” The International Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1975. pg 223.

2. “DENKMÄLER DER TONKUNST.” The International Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1975. pg 559.

3. “DUNSTABLE, John.” The International Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1975.

4. “Dunstable, John.” The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Washington DC: Macmillan Publishers Limited, 1980.

5. “Dunstable, John.” The New Oxford Companion to Music. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983.

6. “HABERL, Franz Xaver.” The International Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1975. pg 890.

7. Hoppin, Richard H. Medieval Music. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1978.

8. “TINCTORIS, Johannes de.” The International Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1975. pg 2283.

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