Mathias [Mattia] Bianco [Albus] {Paul IV-Gregory XIV}
Tenor; Foligno; admitted 12 February 1556 without examination; mandati : March 1556-September 1565, February 1566-October 1571, January 1580-May 1583, March 1584-November 1586, list of 1573, DS lists of July 1577, June 1578, 1587-1589; died in Rome on 10 July 1591 [CELANI, p. 753]; abbas , 1577, 1587.
The career of this singer in the papal chapel is extremely curious, and apparently owes much more to his ability to enlist the support of powerful patrons than to his abilities as a musician. In fact, it seems that he was not a good musician (although he had a loud voice), and several attempts were made to get rid of him, all of which eventually failed. At his audition for the choir on 13 July 1555, he was actually rejected by a vote of 21 to 7, yet he managed to be admitted by papal order and without another audition in the next year. The first attempt to remove him occured at the time of the commission of cardinals in 1565, when unkind comments were made about Bianco's musical ability ("ha grandissima voce ma poca scientia e fa male effetto"--Document 1.15), and his character ("lusor sed vastus et incompositus"--Document 1.16) and he was dismissed from the choir and given a pension of 3 ducats (low, because he had not been admitted through an audition). Bianco remained among the "second class" singers for four months (October 1565-January 1566). But, profiting from a change in Pontif (Pius V was elected on 7 January 1566), he got himself readmitted by papal order at the end of January 1566 and returns to the lists in February 1566. Seven years later (1573), it was again suggested that he be removed from the choir, this time because he was almost never there, being more interested in his benefice at St. Peter's [Document 1.19]. But this also came to nothing, and he remained in the choir until his death. In 1587, he made a fool of himself chanting the epistle at a papal Mass.
DOCUMENTS
DS 4
90v: entry dated 13 July 1555 [CASIMIRI (1937), p. 25]
Non cantavimus missam quia examinavimus Mateum Album in capella presente magistro et fuimus presentes XXVIII socii. Medio juramento omnes votamus secrete per balotas et dictus Mateus habuit in suum favorem balotas nigras septem et in contra habuit XXI. Ideo fuit exclusus secundum statuta nostra.
DS 5
9v: entry dated 12 February 1556 [CASIMIRI (1937), p.78]
Eodem die iussu Summi Pontificis S.mi domini nostri Pauli quarti T.dus dominus magister capelle episcopus Castrensis dedit cottam domino Mathie del Biancho, absque votis dominorum cantorum quia sic placuit domino nostro pape. Et sic fuit admissus et receptus in numerum cantorum virtute certi motus proprii.
10r: entry dated 14 February 1556 [CASIMIRI (1937), p. 79]
Eodem die dominus Mathias del Bianco solvit cantoribus duo ducatos auri pro cotta item decem ducatos auri in auro pro suis reglalibus.
DS 7
168r: entry dated 25 January 1566
Eadem die R. d. magister cappelle retulit dominis cantoribus ex parte S.mi d.n. vive vocis oraulo sibi ... mandabat dominum Mathiam Album admitti et recipi ac reintegrari in pristinum locum suum et sic fuit admissus postea 29 dominus mathias petierit fieri sibi gratia de punctis quottidiannis et obtinebat ...quod non participet de presentis nec de regalis et sic non punctatur.
VAS Misc. Ar, XI, vol. 93
152r
Mathias Blancus. Questo fa tenore, et perché entrò in capella per un Motuproprio di Paulo iiii, ne fu levato nel tempo di Pio iiii, et è ritornato con un'altro motuproprio di Pio Quinto. Il salario suo è salario morto, perché essendo beneficiato in S. Pietro, poco et quasi niente serve la cappella. Sta bene et ha altri beneficii; ancora nella voce sua è molto buona.
VatL 12315
317r-317v: entry dated 25 January 1587: Feste Conversionis Sancti Pauli
Epistolam cantavit D. Matthias Blancus senes, qui dedit causam ridendi in cantando epistolam, incipiens "Lectio Sancti Pauli Apostoli" et deinde "Lectio Actuum Apostolorum," et in facendo ceremonias ad officium suum spectantes, et ipse cantavit quia subdiaconus solitus nec alius substitutus non adversarunt.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: CELANI , pp. 752-73; CASIMIRI ; FREY, Die Diarien, p. 142; SHERR, "Competence and Incompetence."