Pierre Attaingnant
Country: | France |
Period: | Renaissance |
Biography
Pierre Attaingnant (or Attaignant) (c. 1494 – late 1551 or 1552) was a French music printer, active in Paris.
Attaingnant is considered to be first large-scale publisher of single-impression movable type for music-printing, thus making it possible to print faster and cheaper than predecessors such as Ottaviano Petrucci. Attaingnant is often falsely attributed with being the first to develop this technique; however, sufficient evidence exists to suggest that John Rastell, an English printer in London, was the first to use single-impression printing in 1520.[1] Attaingnant published over 1500 chansons by many different composers, including Paris composers Claudin de Sermisy, Pierre Sandrin and Pierre Certon, and most prominently Clément Janequin with five books of chansons. Attaingnant acquired royal privileges for his music books, which were renewed many times. Eventually he was named imprimeur et libraire du Roy en musique (Royal music-printer and librarian).