Barbé, Jean (…-…). Musician; Singer

Papal Chapel, 1486-1502. Singer chaplain in the papal choir, listed from March 1486 to April 1502 during the pontificates of Innocent VIII and Alexander VI (Sherr 1975). Barbé was a cleric of the diocese of Nantes. After leaving the papal chapel he probably retired to Nantes where he was a canon of the cathedral and of the collegiate church of Notre Dame, and he continued to pursue benefices in Brittany. In April 1507 Barbé was deathly ill and attempted at that time to resign his benefices to people of his choosing (this was a common subterfuge allowing clerics, contrary to canon law, to “bequeath” their benefices to other people), as can be seen from a number of supplications, all bearing the date 29 April 1507 in which it is said that he has “resigned” the benefices, but which also take care to include language stating that “should” Barbé actually die, the benefices could be awarded by the “per obitum” formula (RS 1253, fols. 160v, 160v-161r, 161r-161v-clearly approved and registered as a group). By June 1507, the news of his death had reached the papal chapel and the Breton singer Christophe Rousseau (cleric of the diocese of Nantes) activated the Indult of Innocent VIII which allowed the magister capellae to present singers for the benefices of deceased former singers (RS 1258, fols. 159v-160v, supplication dated 28 June 1507 –on the indult see Sherr 1998). He was not successful, probably unable to overcome the influence of the powerful cleric Thomas le Roi (Thomas Regis) who represented the interests of Brittany in Rome and is involved in the majority of the other supplications for Barbé’s benefices in one way or another. This flurry of activity allows us to know for certain what Barbé actually possessed at the time of his death. He had eight benefices in Brittany: the two canonries in Nantes and the parish churches in the Breton towns of Abbaretz, Grand-Fougeray (diocese of Nantes) , Brie, Le Rheu, Parigné, and Lécousse (diocese of Rennes), which stretch in a meandering line north from Nantes (Lécousse is ca. 80 miles north of Nantes). The total yearly income from these benefices, as reported in the supplications, was 568 gold cameral ducats, approximately six times his yearly salary as a papal singer of 96 ducats. Barbé is therefore a good example of a papal singer who used his time in Rome to good advantage to prepare for his retirement (he was provided with the benefices in Parigné and Grand-Fougeray in 1494: RS 1009, fol. 55v, RS 1004, 202r).
• Nantes, collégiate church of Notre-Dame, 1502-1507. He probably retired on his canonicate in Nantes (see above).