Philippe Rogier (1561 - 29/02/1596), a Flemish composer who was born in the Low Countries more specific Atrecht (Arras), but spent his whole life in the service of Philip II of Spain (reg. 1555-1598). Coming from Flanders Philippe Rogier was the last and perhaps the greatest of the Flemish composers who served the Spanish court. He was recruited in 1572 as a boy soprano by the new choirmaster the Fleming Gérard van Turnhout (c.1520-1580). As was customary, Philip II would have provided Rogier with higher education, usually intended as preparation for a career as priest. The normal practice was to send these boys, once their voices broke, back to the Low Countries to universities such as Douai, Tournai or Louvain. From 1585-1586 Rogier was vice maestro di Capilla under George de La Hèle (1547-1587), who was maestro since 1581.
Rogier must have been ordained priest, because in the dedication of his motets published in 1595 the initial “S.”, the customary abbreviation for sacerdos, appears after his name. Furthermore, the list that records the members of the Royal Chapel after 1586 includes Rogier’s name amongst the chaplains.
In 1588 Rogier succeeded de La Hèle as maestro di Capilla and stayed in this position until his dead in Madrid on 29th February 1596.
In 1585 Rogier travelled with the Royal chapel to Zaragoza for the nuptial festivities of Charles Emmanuel I and the Infanta of Castille.
In May 1581 he was granted a non-residential benefice at the church of Notre Dame at Yvoir (near Namur), and later he was named a chaplain of the church of Notre Dame at Atrecht/Arras, his birthplace.
In 1590 Rogier travelled to the Low Countries to engage new boy singers for the Royal Capilla.
In 1593 Philip II awarded Rogier an annual pension.
His last work, mentioned as such in the catalogue of music in the library of John IV of Portugal, was Taedet anima mea (a 6 voices), written for a mass of the dead. In his will, Rogier instructed his student the Fleming Géry de Ghersem (c.1574-1630) to undertake the publication of five of his masses, a task which was duly carried out two years later.
In the library of King John IV of Portugal, destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake and following fire of 1755, Rogier was represented by at least 243 compositions, including 8 masses, 2 magnificats, 2 antiphons, 2 responsories, 27 verses, 66 motets, 65 chansons, and 71 villancicos. Other works by Rogier were no doubt housed in the library of the Spanish royal chapel in Madrid, which was destroyed by fire in 1734. Rogier wrote as fare we know 33 Masses.
Unfortunately a real assessment of Rogier’s music may never be possible; his today 51 known preserved works – eight masses (for four, eight and twelve voices) , 36 motets (for four, five, six, eight and twelve voices), three miscellaneous sacred works, and four chansons – amount to little no more than a fifth of what Rogier is sure thought to have composed. The same applies for the above mentioned Géry de Ghersem, who composed 300 compositions, of which survived after the mentioned catastrophes only 2!
We know that by reading the catalogues from the library of King John IV of Portugal. The destroying of King John’s rich Music-library was an enormous disaster.
The only publication of Rogiers works during the sixteenth century was a collection of motets published in 1595. This book was printed in Naples and was dedicated to Albert Acquaviva, Duke of Atri, in the Kingdom of Naples. During the 15th and 16th centuries, musicians of the Flemish school dominated all over Europe: England excluded. These eminent composers, musicians and singers held all the most prestigious appointments in cathedrals and court chapels. Composers working in Italy, France, Spain, Low Countries, Bohemian, Habsburg, Austria, or Germany – such as Guillaume Dufay, Josquin des Près, Philippe de Monte, Philippe Rogier, Jacob Vaet, Jacob Regnart, Mateo Romero and Orlandus Lassus – have achieved lasting fame and have warranted the greatest attention in contemporary Renaissance studies.
Phillip II of Spain inherited successive Flemish as Maestros de Capilla: Nicolas Payen (c.1512—1559), Pierre de Manchicourt (c.1510-1564), Jean de Bonmarché (c.1520-1570), Gérard van Turnhout ( c.1520-1580), George de la Hèle (1547-1586) , Philippe Rogier (1561-1596) and Mateo Romero/Mathieu Rosemarin (1575-1647). Romero resigned in 1633 and with his resignation came in Spain an end of the supremacy of the excellent Flemish musicians who worked all over Europe!