styles in combination with new techniques of free compo-
sition, and the basing of a Mass composition on a freely in-
vented subject. Composers borrowed entire polyphonic
pieces as the basis of a composition and this “parody
mass” became the most popular form throughout the 16th
century.
PALESTRINAbecame the first Italian to contribute sub-
stantially to the composition of Mass settings after a long
period of dominance by northern composers. The Coun-
cil of Trent instructed that all settings be intelligible to the
listeners, and Palestrina paid great attention to the text.
He was the most prolific composer of Masses (104) in the
century, and his compositions were widely disseminated.
Other figures who dominated Mass composition were VIC-
TORIA, LASSUS, and BYRD.
See also: LITURGY
Massacre of St. Bartholomew (August 23–24, 1572)
The massacre of some 3000 HUGUENOTSby the Paris mob.
The queen dowager of France, CATHERINE DE’ MEDICI, de-
cided at the urging of the GUISEfaction that it was neces-
sary to assassinate the Huguenot leader, the comte de
COLIGNY, Admiral of France. On August 22 a Guise agent
shot but failed to kill him. As tension rose in Paris,
Catherine panicked and persuaded King Charles IX to au-
thorize the elimination of all the Huguenot leaders, who
were gathered in the capital for the wedding of Henry of
Navarre. Only a few were to be killed; the duke of Guise
himself stabbed Coligny in his bed at 2 a.m. on August 24.
However, the virulently Catholic Paris mob took matters
into their own hands, and spontaneously began a general
massacre of Huguenots.
Similar massacres occurred in provincial towns dur-
ing the autumn, causing perhaps 10,000 deaths. The long-
term effect was to destroy Catherine’s image as conciliator
and to throw the Huguenots on the defensive, making
them safeguard their own position rather than seek to
control France.
Further reading: Barbara B. Diefendorf, Beneath the
Cross: Catholics and Huguenots in Sixteenth-Century Paris
(Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1997).
Massys, Quintin See METSYS, QUINTIN
Master E. S. (mid-15th century) Anonymous German
artist also known as the Master of 1466
An engraver and goldsmith, he was an early user of cop-
perplate engraving and was possibly the inventor of the
cross-hatch technique, with which he produced subtle
tonal effects. He was remarkable too for the extent of his
works. Three hundred of the engravings attributed to him
have survived, although only 18 are signed E. S. His skill-
ful use of line engraving can be seen in his religious
subjects such as the Annunciation, Nativity, or Man of
Sorrows. He covered a wide range of subjects however and
progressed from technically accomplished early engrav-
ings with careful detail work to a more vigorous mature
style.Master of Flémalle See CAMPIN, ROBERTMasters of Nuremberg, Little See LITTLE MASTERS(OF
NUREMBERG)mathematics The Renaissance was a somewhat transi-
tional period in the history of mathematics. Its first task
was to collect, edit, publish, and absorb the main classical
mathematical texts. Thereafter mathematicians sought to
work out a more conveneint formalism and to express
within it some of the basic mathematical operations.
Thus, in ARITHMETICnot only did the Hindu numerals win
acceptance, but the basic algorithms of addition, multipli-
cation, division, and subtraction were worked out for both
integers and fractions. An important development at the
end of the period was the invention of logarithms, first by
Jost BÜRGIand then by the Englishman John NAPIER, who
coined the word (Greek logos reckoning + arithmos num-
ber). Considerable advances were also made in ALGEBRA.
Equations came increasingly to be written in a standard
form, and general solutions were found in the 16th cen-
tury to cubic equations. In TRIGONOMETRYthe main func-
tions were defined in modern terms, while comprehensive
tables were provided by RHETICUS. Development was less
apparent in the field of GEOMETRY, but understanding
nonetheless improved sufficiently to prepare the way for
the enormous advances made in the 17th century by such
mathematicians as René Descartes, Pierre de Fermat, and
Isaac Newton.Matteo di Giovanni (c. 1435–1495) Italian painter
A leading member of the Sienese school, Matteo di Gio-
vanni was probably a pupil of VECCHIETTAalthough POL-
LAIUOLOalso heavily influenced his decorative linear style,
which made generous use of gold, particularly in his nu-
merous Madonnas. In 1465 he completed a polyptych for
his native Borgo San Sepolcro, of which the central panel,
the Baptism of Christ, is now in the National Gallery, Lon-
don. Other works include four versions of the Massacre of
the Innocents, three (1482–91) painted in a realistic man-
ner and one in inlaid marble in the floor of Siena cathe-
dral, and an Assumption (1475; National Gallery, London).Matthias Corvinus (Matthias I Hunyadi) (1440–1490)
King of Hungary (1458–90)
Matthias was the second son of János Hunyadi (c. 1387–
1456), hero of the Hungarian resistance against the Turks,
especially the siege of Belgrade (1456). Despite the oppo-
sition of some nobles, he was elected king of Hungary, but
the malcontents then crowned Emperor FREDERICK IIIin
Matthias’s stead (1459) and it was not until 1464 that33006 6 MMaassssaaccrree ooff SStt.. BBaarrtthhoolloommeeww