Pérotin

Medieval French Composer and Polyphony Innovator

Pérotin, also known as Perotinus Magnus, was a European composer associated with the Notre-Dame school of polyphony in Paris and one of the earliest known composers of polyphonic music. His career flourished in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Pérotin was a key figure in the development of the motet and organum, which were significant forms of medieval music. He expanded upon the work of his predecessor Léonin, and his compositions are noted for their complex and rhythmic structures. Pérotin's music represents some of the most advanced and sophisticated examples of medieval polyphony, particularly through his use of multiple voices singing independent melodic lines. His works were compiled in the "Magnus Liber Organi" (Great Book of Organum), which served as a vital collection of polyphonic church music for the period.