Carolus [Charles] d'Argentil [Argentilly] {Clement VII-Paul IV}
Bass; Batz in Brittany? Tholen in Zeland?; admitted 29 November 1528 [according to the list in DS 2, fol. 94v]; mandati: July-September 1529 , April 1530 - December 1555 ; had died by 19 March 1557 when a funeral Mass was celebrated in the Campo Santo, another Mass was celebrated on 27 April 1557; abbas in 1549; punctator in 1542, 1547.
Although Argentil’s origins are not certain, he was considered to be in the French "nation" of the chapel, and was one of the French singers fined for protesting the admission of the Spaniard Bartolome Escobedo in 1536 (seeEscobedo ). On 9 January 1556 Argentil, because he was a Carthusian monk, was expelled from the choir on the order of Pope Paul IV; however, the Pope, citing Argentil's age, poor health, and long service to the choir, did allow him to keep drawing his full salary.
Argentil is the composer of a Missa de Beata Virgine and other sacred and secular works, including three canons preserved in Rome, Biblioteca di Santa Cecilia, MS G 384, fol. 53v-54r, one of which appears to have been written in collaboration with Costanzo Festa (it bears the inscription "Quod Carolus junxit Festa non sepparet"). For other works, see TNG . For an edition, see JOSEPHSON.
WORKS IN VATS MANUSCRIPTS
Mass: Missa de Beata Virgine (VatS 13).
EDITION: JOSEPHSON, Nors. Early Sixteenth-Century Sacred Music from the Papal Chapel, CMM 95, vol. I (Neuhausen, 1982), pp. 121-271.
DOCUMENTS
DS 5
5r: entry dated 9 January 1556 [CASIMIRI (1937), p. 75]
Eodem die fuit exclusus et depositus dominus Carolus Dargentil cantor eo quod repertus fuit monachus Cartusiensis et quia sic placuit Pon[ti]fici reservata sibi provisione ordinaria.
VatS 646, fol. 93r: undated motu proprio [transcribed in FREY , p. 129]
Paulus PP IIII
Motu proprio etc. Volentes inter alia capellam nostram cantorum capellanorum in melius reformare et nonnullus abusus in ea ab aliquius annis introductos amovere et propterea mandaverimus vive vocis oraculo venerabili fratru Hieronimo episcopo Castrensis moderno eiusdem capelle magistro ut ab ea omnes coniugatos et apostatas sive alicuius religius alias professos licent etiam cum eis fuerit a penitentiaria et sede apostolica dispensatum super apostasie labe [amoneat--added below] etc. nichilominus ue predictum debite executioni mandentur et ut perpetuie futuris temporibus dicta volountas nostra appareat mandamus eundem venerabili fratri ac pro tempore existenti magistro capelle et decano cantoribus et aliis ad quod spectat ut sub indignationis nostre pena si qui fiunt tam coniugati quam apostate aut professi etiam dispensati etc. a dicta capella eiiciant aut amoveant prout nos in vim presentis motus proprii eiicimus et amovemus et de cetero nullo unquam tempore in dicta capella et cantorum numero recipere et admittere debeant etc. Et quia ut accepimus dilectus filius Carolus Argentil dicte capelle cantor capellanus fuit professus ordinis cartusiensis et in dicta capella per plures annos honeste et laudabiliter deservivit et jam senio confectus et infirmitati gravatus non possit aliunde commodo vivere et concommodie dicte religionis pati non propterea manditore contigat volumus quod donec et quousque eidem de convenienti recompensa providemus menstrium salarium finem hactenus habuit et sicut uni ex cantoribus capellanis nostris dari solet reserbetur ut effectualiter persolvatur mandantes propterea dilecto filio Guidoni Ascanio S.R. Ecclesie camerario ac thesaurario nostro etc. et aliis ad quos spectat ut de salario huiusmodi provideatur. Non obstantibus quibusvis constitutionibus et ordinationibus apostolicis ac dicte capelle privilegiis quibusvis sub quibuscunque tenoribus et formis ac cum quibusvis clausulis et decretis concessis approbatis et innovatis quibus omnibus etiam si de illis foret dacta mention etc. specialiter et expresse derogamus et presentibus nostri motus proptii solam signaturam sufficere et ubiqua fiedem facere in iudicio et extra absque regrantur regula contraria non obstante volumus et mandamus.
Placet D.N. PP B. Card. Eramen
Placet
Pro D. Carolo cantorum dominus epsicopus Castrensis capelle magistiorum etc. dedit ad papam.
93v: in Calasans's hand
Carolus exclusus
DS 5
48v: entry dated 19 March 1557 {CASIMIRI (1937), p. 299]
Fuerunt celebrate exequie domini Caroli Argentilis fratris nostri in Campo Santo.
53v:entry dated 27 April 1557 [CASIMIRI (1937), p. 301]
Fuerunt celebrate exequie pro anima fratris nostri Caroli Argentini in Campo Santo.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: VANDER-STRAETEN , Edmond, La Musique aux Pays-Bas , vol. VI (Brussels, 1882, r. Dover, 1969), p. 418; CELANI, p. 94; CASIMIRI ; DE BRUYN , J. "Ghisilinus Danckerts kapelaan-zanger van de Pauselijke kapel van 1538 tot 1565. Zijn leven, werken en onuitgegeven tractaat." Tijdschrift der Verenigung voor Nederlandse Musiekgeschiedenis 16 (1946): 217-252, esp. 221; FREY, Die Diarien, pp. 128-129; Josef LLORENS , "Cantores pontificios colegas de Cristòbal de Morales," Inter-American Music Review , 10 (1989): 11-12.