Woodcut of Volcyr at his desk, by Gabriel Salmon [fr]

Nicolas Volcyr de Serrouville (c. 1480–1541), known in German as Nicolaus Wollick, was a translator, music theorist and historian, one of the most prominent figures of the Renaissance in the Duchy of Lorraine.[1]

Life

Nicolas Volcyr was born in Serrouville in the Duchy of Bar around 1480.[2] His family name was Wolquier, but his published works in French bear the name Volcyr, while his musical work published in Germany bears the name Wollick.[3]

Volcyr began studies at the University of Cologne in 1498. He learnt music under Melchior Schanppecher. He received a master of arts degree in 1501 and a doctorate in theology in 1507.[3] He later also received a maîtrise ès arts from the University of Paris.[2] This type of double degree, one in the Holy Roman Empire and one in France, was common in Lorraine at the time.[4]

In 1507, Volcyr was appointed master of the choirboys of Metz Cathedral. In 1508, he began lecturing at Paris.[3] He arrived at the court of Lorraine by 1513.[3] He was listed as one of the duke's secretaries on 1 January 1514.[2] On 8 May 1520, through the intercession of Théodore Mitte [fr], he was ennobled by Duke Antoine and took the surname "de Serrouville".[2][4] The duke appointed him court historian (indiciaire).[4] The historian William Monter calls him Antoine's "de facto propaganda minister".[5]

In 1540, Volcyr married Jeanne Chastellain. He drew up his will on 23 May 1541 and died later that year at Nancy.[2]

Works

Volcyr's earliest known work is his Gregoriana, a Latin treatise on Gregorian chant published at Cologne in 1501 as part of the Opus aureum of Heinrich Quentell [de]. This went through many editions in Germany and France before 1530.[2][4] A revised edition under the title Enchiridion musices was published at Paris in 1509 by Jean Petit and François Regnault. There is a modern edition edited by Klaus Wolfgang Niemöller under the title Musica Gregoriana.[2][3] Among his sources were Adam of Fulda, Hugo Spechtshart von Reutlingen [de], Michael Keinspeck [de] and Johannes Cochlaeus. The French edition was praised by Franchinus Gaffurius.[3]

Volcyr's historical works include:

Volcyr may have been most at home as a translator of Latin works into French.[4] Some of his translations include:

Notes

  1. ^ Fery-Hue 2015, p. 635: "une des figures marquantes de la cour de Lorraine au début de la Renaissance"; Cullière 2009, p. 441: "une des figures les plus marquantes de la cour lorraine au début de la Renaissance".
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Fery-Hue 2015, p. 635.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Niemöller 2001.
  4. ^ a b c d e Cullière 2009, p. 441.
  5. ^ Monter 2007, p. 40.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Fery-Hue 2015, p. 636.
  7. ^ Fery-Hue 2015, pp. 636–637.

Bibliography

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