Denis de Hollain

fl. 1470-1503†

Map

Displaying 9 events/geographical origins

Biography

Cathedral and Saint-Géry of Cambrai, 1470-1503
Documented as a chorister in 1470-71 [F-AD 59, 4G 7765 (1470-71), f. 22v], and as a former chorister in 1480-82 [id., 4G 7766 (1480-81), 15v; (1481-82), f. 16], he was a small vicar from 27 June 1482 to 23 September 1483, and from 09 November 1485 to 23 June 1490 [id., 4G 7472 (1482-83), f. 9; 4G 7473, f. 8v; 4G 7472 (1485-86), f. 7v]. His final departure is not recorded per se; he simply is not named in the opening list for 1490-91. On 03 November 1485 the chapter asked him to become magister puerorum, and the entry explains his activity during the gap in his service as a small vicar, for it indicates that at the time he was the magister puerorum at St. Géry [F-CA, ms. 1061, f. 238v]. The wine accounts never give his last name, but the two surviving accounts of the small vicars that coincide with his service do [F-AD 59, 4G 6791 (1486-87), f. 4; (1487-88), f. 4].
His beneficial career at Cambrai is unusual: the record is entirely silent until 30 October 1489, when he was made a grand vicar on the death of Adam Malart [F-CA, ms. 1061, f. 347]. At the time, he chose to continue singing with the small vicars to the end of that fiscal year. On 15 February 1503 he was made a canon by collation of the chapter on the death of Pierre Callone [id., ms. 1064, f. 437]. Two days later he resigned the only other recorded benefice we have for him, the parish church of Graucourt, and the canons promptly returned it to him [id., ms. 1064, f. 438v]. Probably he stopped being the magister puerorum around this time, for on 03 April, Louis van Pullaer was appointed to that post [id. ms. 1064, f. 448]. He died on 08 November 1503; his will and its execution survive [F-AD 59, 4G 1371].
His brother Henri was an advocate at the court of Cambrai in 1497 [id., ms. 1063, f. 249v, 259], and Paul de Hollain, received as small vicar on 15 November 1503, might be another relative [f. 423v]. 

Musical works
He is probably the composer of three songs ascribed to “Holain’ in the Chansonnier Strozzi (ms. Fl Basevi 2442) : Nous irons planter le may, Par nuyt a la lune, Laissiez moy aller.

Addendum (D. Fiala)
In 1470-71, he was registered as an additional chorister (hired above the accustomed number of choristers). He is said "of Escaudœuvre" (Pirro 1926, p. 190). The alias "De sanctoro" recorded by A. Planchart might be a confusion with some form of designation starting with "Descaud…"

Planchart Alejandro

Information

  • Roles

    Choirboy
    Choirmaster
    Cleric
    Master of choirboys
    Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon)
    Member of a church (lower ranked officer)
    Member of a church (musician)
    Member of a court chapel (higher ecclesiastic)

  • Gender

    Male

Events

(YYYY-MM-DD)

9 in database

Geographical origins

Escaudœuvres (France)

Musical education

Choirboy
1470/1471
Cambrai (France)


Institution: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Cambrai, Cambrai (France)

Comments: Dans une liste des enfants en 1470-1471 et ancien enfant dans un registre pour 1480-1482, il pourrait donc avoir été enfant de chœur pendant une bonne partie des années 1470. Surnuméraire (donc à titre gracieux ?)

Musical position

Member of a church (musician)
1482-06-27/1483-09-23
Cambrai (France)


Institution: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Cambrai, Cambrai (France)

Comments: Petit vicaire

Musical position

Master of choirboys
1483-09-23/1485-11-09
Cambrai (France)


Institution: Saint-Géry de Cambrai, Cambrai (France)

Comments: Intervalle entre ses deux périodes de service comme petit vicaire de la cathédrale

Musical position

Master of choirboys
1485-11-03/1503-04-03
Cambrai (France)


Institution: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Cambrai, Cambrai (France)

Musical position

Member of a church (musician)
1485-11-09/1490-06-23
Cambrai (France)


Institution: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Cambrai, Cambrai (France)

Comments: Petit vicaire

Religious position

Member of a court chapel (higher ecclesiastic)
1489-10-30/1503
Cambrai (France)


Institution: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Cambrai, Cambrai (France)

Comments: Grand vicaire

Benefice

Cleric
before 1503
Graucourt (France)


Institution: Église paroissiale de Graucourt, Graucourt (France)

Religious position

Member of a church (higher ecclesiastic, canon)
1503-02-15
Cambrai (France)


Institution: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Cambrai, Cambrai (France)

Death

1503-11-08
Cambrai (France)

Variant names

D'Escaudœuvre ; Holain ; Sanctoro (de)

Associated people

No associated person.

Bibliography

[Pirro 1926]

Pirro, A., 1926, Jean Cornuel, vicaire à Cambrai, Revue de musicologie, 7, p. 190‑203.
(p. 190)

[Planchart 2018]

Planchart, A. E., 2018, Guillaume Du Fay: The Life and Works, Cambridge https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/guillaume-du-fay/C1FA92429F59A808EE02AE69BC1D76AE (consulté le 16 mars 2024).
(pp. 699-700)

[Planchart PCR]

Planchart, A. E., 2008, Contribution directe à la Prosopographie des chantres de la Renaissance / Direct contribution to the Prosopography of Renaissance Singers.

Archival references

[F-AD 59]

S. d., Archives départementales du Nord, FranceArchives https://francearchives.gouv.fr/fr/service/33921 (consulté le 9 février 2025).

[F-CA]

S. d., Le Labo, Cambrai (olim Médiathèque d’agglomération de Cambrai, Bibliothèque Municipale/ Communale) https://rism.online/institutions/30001436 (consulté le 26 juin 2025).

Contributors

Fiala David - Project manager ; Scientific editor

Planchart Alejandro - Biography author

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Planchart Alejandro, Denis de Hollain, in RicercarDataLab [http://ricercardatalab.cesr.univ-tours.fr/people/908/] (accessed 05 July 2025).

Last modification: June 26, 2025, 11:41 a.m.