Caspar Copus (Composer)
Born: c1520 or c1525 - Austria
Died: After 1550
The composer Caspar Copus may have lived in Austria and known Arnold von Bruck; his Salve regina (in A-KN 70, which contains most of his works) has the following dedication: ‘Casparus Copus in gratiam Arnoldi de Bruck 1550’. Only 11 sacred vocal pieces (in RISM 15644, A-KN, D-Dlb 1/D/4, Rp A.R.900) can definitely be attributed to him; they are examples of solid, functional church music, though some of them show a tendency to mannerism. In his Proper settings Copus frequently used German hymns (e.g. Christ ist erstanden) as cantus firmi, so Albrecht has attributed another composition to him, the Missa in aurora ascribed by Georg Rhau to ‘Nicolaus Copus’ (1545).
Source: Grove Music Online © Oxford University Press 2006 (by Norbert Bäker-Heil)
Contributed by Thomas Braatz (February 2006)
Use of Chorale Melodies in his works |
Title |
Chorale Melody |
Year |
Cantus firmus of Christ ist erstanden is used in one of his settings of the Proper |
Christ ist erstanden |
|
Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ [no further details about this version available] |
Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ |
|
Bibliography |
MGG1 (N. Bäker-Heil)
H. Albrecht : ‘Caspar Copus, ein fast unbekannter deutscher Komponist des 16. Jahrhunderts’, Miscelلnea en homenaje a Monseٌor Higinio Anglés , i (Barcelona, 1958–61), 1–9 |
|
|