Ninot le Petit
Ninot le Petit (also Johannes Parvi) (fl. Ca. 1500 – 1520) was a French composer of the Renaissance, probably associated with the French royal chapel.
Also recorded as Johannes Parvi · Nino le Petit
Ninot le Petit
- Nationality
- France
- Occupation
- composer
- Movements
- classical music
- Languages
- French
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Ninot le Petit. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
In this article
Life
Life
Although a substantial amount of his music has survived in several sources, his actual name is not known with certainty.
Two identifications have been proposed by musicologists in the latter half of the 20th century. The first possibility, suggested by Barton Hudson in 1979, is that le Petit may have been Johannes Baltazar alias le Petit, since a singer of that name was in the papal chapel between 1488 and 1502, and his name resembles that in the attribution of some "le Petit" motets in a Vatican manuscript. The second possibility is that "le Petit" may be the same as Jean Lepetit, the singing master at Langres Cathedral between 1506 and 1510. Baltazar died in 1502, Lepetit after 1529; stylistically the music of le Petit suggests composition in the first two decades of the 16th century.
Works
Works
One mass by le Petit has survived, as well as four motets and sixteen chansons. Many of his works have also been attributed to others; some, such as Lourdault lourdault garde que tu feras, are now considered to be reliably the work of others (in that case, Loyset Compère). Since one large block of chansons survived in one manuscript, but relatively little sacred music, and yet Moulu listed him as a famous composer, it can be inferred that most of his music has been lost.
Mass
Mass
• Missa sine nomine (mass without a name)
Motets
Motets
• In illo tempore: Assumpsit Jesus; • O bone Jesu; • Psallite Noe, Judei credite; • Si oblitus fuero tui (has also been attributed to Jacob Obrecht)
Chansons
Chansons
Many of these are lacking a bass voice part, since the bass part-book has been lost from the manuscript. • En chevauchant pres d'ung molin; • En l'ombre d'ung aubepin; • En revenant de Noyon; • Et la la la, faictez luy bonne chiere; • Et levez vo gambe, Jennette; • Et levez vous hau, Guillemette; • Gentilz gallans adventureulx; • Helas helas helas; • Hellas, hellas, qui me confortera; • Je mi levay l'autre nuytee; • L'ort villain jaloux; • Mon amy m'avoit promis; • Mon seul plaisir (a quodlibet as well as a ballade; has also been attributed to Josquin des Prez); • N'as tu poinct mis ton hauls bonnet; • Nostre chamberiere si malade elle est; • Pourtant si mon amy; • Si bibero crathere pleno.
Music and influence
Le Petit's style is similar to that of Antoine de Févin and Jean Mouton, the two most famous French composers associated with the French royal chapel. He preferred clear harmonies, a texture occasionally broken by long duets, and contrasting sections in triple meter, somewhat blending the styles of Févin and Mouton. The chansons are light and open in texture, foreshadowing the developments in the genre later in the century. Le Petit was listed by Pierre Moulu in his famous motet Mater floreat florescat as one of the leading composers of the day (this work, probably written around 1517, provides to musicologists a particularly useful list of composers working at the time, naming the composers associated with the French royal chapel which Moulu thought the most eloquent of the time).
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Ninot le Petit, revision 1264312890 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 03 October 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
43,975 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Nino SanzognoPerson
- Nino SegarraPerson
- Nino TempoPerson
- Ninon VallinPerson
- Ninth Street OpusOrganisation
- Nippon ColumbiaOrganisation
- Nippon CrownOrganisation
- Nippy NoyaPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Ninot le Petit?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.