Date and Circumstances
In hydraulis is, to our knowledge, Busnoys’ only composition that can be given a relative date of composition. Given information gathered from records of payment to Busnoys, the piece’s date of composition can be traced to around June of 1467. It was around this time, or a few years earlier, that Busnoys became employed by the Burgundian court under Charles the Bold (10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477). Though the exact reason for the composition is not known, some scholars theorize that he composed the piece as a challenge to himself to prove that he was worthy of his profession. Whether or not the piece was composed for a specific occasion is currently unknown. However, it is known that the piece itself pays great homage to Busnoys’ teacher, Johannes Ockeghem. Because of this, it could also be speculated that this homage is at least part of the reason that Busnoys composed this piece.
Pre-Existing Material
To our knowledge, no pre-existing material has been found within In hydraulis. However, the piece does share some structural similarities with pieces by Ockeghem and Josquin, such as Ut heremita solus and Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae, respectively.
Miscellaneous Information
Because there is such a small amount of surviving information regarding Busnoys and his composition, information regarding his pieces is difficult to find, and In hydraulis is no exception. However, in-depth analyses have revealed that Busnoys used Pythagorean mathematical proportions related to music in this composition. Part of this Pythagorean proportional analysis reveals that the name “Johannes Ockeghem” can be spelled in the piece. The technique of using mathematical proportions within music, while not unheard of during his time, puts Busnoys ahead of much later composers, such as Mozart and Shoenberg, who used similar techniques in some of their compositions.
Also worth noting is the historical confusion regarding the text of In hydraulis. Due to the fact that the piece was originally copied from memory by scribes, some slight mistranslations have been noted in older versions of the text. This has led to some confusion as to exact word meanings within the text. However, more recent translations have led to the dissipation of this issue.
Antoine Busnoys - In hydraulis 