Critical responses to Janequin have ranged from panegyric to dismissive. There are several reasons for this variation: some writers, particularly those writing before all of Janequin’s secular output became conveniently available, were basing their reflections on a limited familiarity with the repertory; other writers (especially those with an anti-entertainment bias) found it difficult to give serious consideration to a repertory they regarded as essentially frivolous; still others experienced frustration when Janequin’s compositions refused to fit conveniently into various generic and stylistic categories they were attempting to define. The following survey traces a selection of approaches, among which will be noted only a minimum of methodological common ground.
Analysis and Sixteenth Century Theory