Louis Bourgeois

Short Name: Louis Bourgeois
Full Name: Bourgeois, Louis, 1510-1561
Birth Year: 1510
Death Year: 1561

Louis Bourgeois (b. Paris, France, c. 1510; d. Paris, 1561). In both his early and later years Bourgeois wrote French songs to entertain the rich, but in the history of church music he is known especially for his contribution to the Genevan Psalter. Apparently moving to Geneva in 1541, the same year John Calvin returned to Geneva from Strasbourg, Bourgeois served as cantor and master of the choristers at both St. Pierre and St. Gervais, which is to say he was music director there under the pastoral leadership of Calvin. Bourgeois used the choristers to teach the new psalm tunes to the congregation.

The extent of Bourgeois's involvement in the Genevan Psalter is a matter of scholar­ly debate. Calvin had published several partial psalters, including one in Strasbourg in 1539 and another in Geneva in 1542, with melodies by unknown composers. In 1551 another French psalter appeared in Geneva, Eighty-three Psalms of David, with texts by Marot and de Beze, and with most of the melodies by Bourgeois, who supplied thirty­ four original tunes and thirty-six revisions of older tunes. This edition was republished repeatedly, and later Bourgeois's tunes were incorporated into the complete Genevan Psalter (1562). However, his revision of some older tunes was not uniformly appreciat­ed by those who were familiar with the original versions; he was actually imprisoned overnight for some of his musical arrangements but freed after Calvin's intervention. In addition to his contribution to the 1551 Psalter, Bourgeois produced a four-part harmonization of fifty psalms, published in Lyons (1547, enlarged 1554), and wrote a textbook on singing and sight-reading, La Droit Chemin de Musique (1550). He left Geneva in 1552 and lived in Lyons and Paris for the remainder of his life.

Bert Polman

Wikipedia Biography

Loys "Louis" Bourgeois (French: [buʁʒwa]; c. 1510 – 1559) was a French composer and music theorist of the Renaissance. He is most famous as one of the main compilers of Calvinist hymn tunes in the middle of the 16th century. One of the most famous melodies in all of Christendom, the Protestant doxology known as the Old 100th, is commonly attributed to him.

Tunes by Louis Bourgeois (57)sort descendingAsInstancesIncipit
ALL LANDSLouis Bourgeois (Composer)2
[Amen] (Bourgeois)Louis Bourgeois (Composer)812343 23
ASCENDING KINGLouis Bourgeois (Composer)4
AUTUMN (Barthélemon)L. Bourgeois (Composer)112321 65312 32352
AUX PAROLESLouis Bourgeois, 1510-1572 (Composer)515677 17651 11765
BOURGEOISLouis Bourgeois (Composer)312765 23432 11232
ST. MICHAEL (Genevan)Louis Bourgeois (Composer)3351322 35432 21176
[Nosza Isten félő szent hivek]L. Bourgeois (Composer)315576 54322 34517
AU FORT DE MA DETRESSELouis Bourgeois (Composer)851232 17312 34554
FRANCL. Bourgeois (Composer)232123 45454 32455
[Óh felséges Ur mi kegyes Istenünk]Loys Bourgeois, h. 1510-h. 1561 (Composer)213451 76576 51117
GENEVAN 100Louis Bourgeois (Composer)612732 17151 71332
GENEVAN 101Louis Bourgeois (Composer)451322 35432 11765
GENEVAN 119Louis Bourgeois (Composer)512313 55432 31765
DONNE SECOURSLouis Bourgeois (Composer)853457 53432 15545
GENEVAN 133Louis Bourgeois (Composer)313215 61756 51171
GENEVAN 150Louis Bourgeois (Composer)113213 45132 13453
GENEVAN 25Louis Bourgeois (Composer)1117651 23133 43121
GENEVAN 27Louis Bourgeois (Composer)253455 11716 52354
O SEIGNEURLouis Bourgeois (Composer)715567 11765 45331
GENEVAN 42Louis Bourgeois (Composer)7812321 76512 34321
GENEVAN 47Louis Bourgeois (Composer)553123 43221 55671
GENEVAN 51Louis Bourgeois (Composer)457715 77465 55435
GENEVAN PSALM 110Louis Bourgeois (Composer)317123 45321 32171
HERZLIEBSTER JESULoys Bourgeois (Arranger)111175 12334 22345
HEUREUX CELUI QUI FUITLouis Bourgeois (Composer)456535 43421 13455
GENEVAN 43Louis Bourgeois (Composer)312211 44321 24321
JE TE SALUELouis Bourgeois (Composer)351322 35432 11765
JERUSALEM'S PEACELouis Bourgeois (Composer)455651 76553 45654
GENEVAN 138Louis Bourgeois (Composer)513451 76556 53343
GENEVAN 121Louis Bourgeois (Composer)312143 22144 34566
LAMENT (Bourgeois)L. Bourgeois (Composer)251233 33243 25123
LES COMANDEMENS DE DIEULouis Bourgeois (Attributed)5411232 43213 43217
L'OMNIPOTENTLouis Bourgeois (Composer)1017123 45432 1
[O Lord Most High] (Bourgeois)L. Bourgeois (Composer)1
[Te benned biztunk eleitől fogva]L. Bourgeois (Composer)155175 77654 55315
HÖCHSTEN NÖTHENLoys Bourgeois, h. 1510-h. 1561 (Composer)111231 42134 32171
NEAR UNTO GODLouis Bourgeois (Composer)356176 54517 61567
GEWISSHEITL. Bourgeois (Composer)111232 17133 23543
NUNC DIMITTIS (Bourgeois)Louis Bourgeois (Composer)4356543 24312 21155
OLD 107THLouis Bourgeois (Composer or Arranger)511511 77556 5343
OLD 124THLouis Bourgeois (Composer)1712343 21171 34565
OLD 117THLouis Bourgeois (Composer)251175 67117 65432
OLD HUNDREDTHLouis Bourgeois (Attributed to)71611765 12333 32143
[O Lord, our God! how great art thou]L. Bourgeois (Composer)115344 32113 45766
GENEVAN 6Louis Bourgeois (Composer)911177 13235 57654
GENEVAN PSALM 22Louis Bourgeois (Composer)1031433 66543
GENEVAN 77Louis Bourgeois (Composer)1311712 32111 71232
RENDEZ À DIEULouis Bourgeois, c. 1510-1561 (Composer (attr.))10416511 24325 33143
REVELATION (Bourgeois)Louis Bourgeois (Composer)452232 11234 32611
RICHIERLouis Bourgeois, c. 1510-1561 (Composer)2
[Så älskade Gud världen all]Bourgeois (Composer)351765 12333 21143
[そむくものの かずは [Somuku Mono no Kazu wa]]Louis Bourgeois, 1510-1572 (Composer)2
[Az Ur én nekem őriző pásztorom] L. Bourgeois (Composer)111155 71211 71321
TOULONLouis Bourgeois (Composer)3212343 21171 34565
WIL MIJ, WANNEER IK ROEPLouis Bourgeois, 1510-1572 (Composer)2
GENEVAN 65Louis Bourgeois (Composer)755515 65434 54321

Data Sources

Suggestions or corrections? Contact us