-
Centre dtudes suprieures de la RenaissanceCollection pitome
musical
BREPOLS
Edited byThomas Schmidt-Beste
The motet around 1500On the relationship of imitation and text
treatment?
Th
e m
otet
aro
un
d 15
00O
n th
e re
lati
onsh
ip o
f im
itat
ion
and
text
tre
atm
ent?
K
Centre dtudes suprieures
de la Renaissance
HCouverture 1 20/06/12 14:17
-
Centre dtudes suprieures de la RenaissanceUniversit
Franois-Rabelais de Tours
Collection Epitome musical dirige par Philippe Vendrix.
Comit ditiorialMarie-Alexis Colin, David Fiala, Xavier Bisaro,
Annie Coeurdevey, Daniel Saulnier, Fabien Guilloux
Coordination ditorialeVincent Besson
Graphic designThe Theatre of Operations
[www.theatre-operations.com]
Dpt lgal : d/2012/0095/83isbn 978-2-503-52566-2
2012, Brepols Publishers n.v., Turnhout, Belgium
www.brepols.net
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the publisher.Printed in the E.U.
on acid-free paper
Cette publication est cofinancepar le fonds europen
dedveloppement rgional
:G
Motets.indb 4 29/02/12 08:08
-
The Motet around 1500On the relationship of imitation and text
treatment?
Thomas Schmidt-Beste
centre dtudes suprieures de la renaissance F
Liminaires.indd 5 20/06/12 14:14
-
Motets.indb 6 29/02/12 08:08
-
* I wish to thank Bonnie Blackburn for valuable comments to the
confer-ence version of this paper, and the staff of the Archivio
della Veneranda Fabbrica for granting me access to the Librone 1. I
would like also to thank the amateur singers of the Schola cantorum
San Luca (Milan), with whom I often performed Gaf-furios Quando
venit ergo in concerts and during church services: it was
rehearsing this motet with the Schola that the idea of this
research project first occurred to me.
1. K. Jeppesen, Die 3 Gafu-rius-Kodizes der Fabbrica del Duomo,
Milano, Acta Musicolo-gica, 3 (1931), pp. 1428, at p. 14.
2. The fact that Gaffurios compo-sitions do not pertain to the
age of Galeazzo probably contrib-uted to the marginalization of his
works in most musicological stud-ies concerning the Milanese
motet,
in spite of the availability of a mod-ern edition: F. Gaffurio,
Mottetti, ed. A. Bortone (Archivium Musices Metropolitanum
Mediolanense
[=AMMM], 5; Milan, 1959); I will refer to this edition for
musical exam-ples (sometimes with slight edito-rial changes),
measure numbers, etc.
Text, Form, and Style in Franchino Gaffurios Motets*
Es ist beinahe sprichwrtlichKnud Jeppesen wrote, at the very
be-ginning of his article on the Milanese Libroni
da kein Theoretiker auch als Komponist bedeutend war, da
Intuiti-on und Ratio sich selten reimen. Als einzige, allerdings
auch glnzen-de Ausnahme pflegt man hier gewhnlich den in beiden
Beziehungen genialen Rameau anzufhren. Wenn man sich recht umsieht,
verdie-nen doch auch andere Theoretiker hier mit Ehre genannt zu
werden. Die drei berhmtesten italienischen Musiktheoretiker
Gafurius, Spa-taro und Zarlino waren so alle fruchtbare
Komponisten, und konnte der letzgenannte vielleicht etwas trocken
scheinen, waren die beiden anderen sogar sehr begabte und
originelle Schpfer.1
Eighty years after this favourable judgement was formulated by
Jeppesen, and notwithstanding his undisputable status of first
na-tive Italian composer of the Renaissance, Franchino Gaffurios
mu-sic still remains largely unexplored. The aim of the present
paper is to investigate some aspects of Gaffurios motets in the
Librone 1 dellArchivio della Veneranda Fabbrica (IMd), outlining
the pecu-liar stylistic synthesis he conceived in the 1480s on the
basis of the style elaborated by Loyset Compre, Gaspar van
Weerbeke, and other composers working in Milan in the preceding
decade.2
Daniele V. Filippi
Motets.indb 383 29/02/12 08:10
-
text, form, and style 384
3. In 1484 Gaffurio became choirmas-ter at the Duomo. It seems
unlikely that Gaffurius devoted much time to composition before he
became choirmaster at Milan, although he reportedly composed in
Genoa. His only surviving secular works (in IPAc 1158) must have
been written in the 1470s, and (to judge from Illu-strissimo
marchexe) they are not even competent. Clearly, he gained
experi-ence in the following decade, perhaps under the influence of
the skilled composer Tinctoris (B. J. Black-burn, Gaffurius,
Franchinus, NG2).
4. Gaffurios imitations (preferably built on a cantus-tenor
axis) are gen-erally short, often lasting less than two breves. The
most common imi-tative intervals are the unison, the
octave, and the fifth (for a rather exceptional case of
four-voice imi-tation with each voice entering on a different
pitch, see the begin-ning of Castra coeli, with the contra-tenor
gravis entering on g, the tenor on d, the superius on a, the
contra-tenor acutus on c). Gaffurio does not observe a one-to-one
correspondence between textual and motivic units in imitation: the
voices involved often carry different textual segments.
5. This motet is character-ized by melodic references to the
plainchant antiphon.
6. J. Rifkin, Munich, Milan, and a Mar-ian Motet: Dating
Josquins Ave Maria virgo serena, JAMS, 56 (2003), pp. 239350, at p.
277. See also, among others, Patrick Macey, Galeazzo Maria Sforza
and Musi-cal Patronage in Milan: Com-pre, Weerbeke and Josquin,
EMH, 15 (1996), pp. 147212, at p. 182.
I. Gaffurios motets in Librone 1: General remarks
Franchino Gaffurios motets in Librone 1, written probably in the
period 148490,3 can be divided into three categories (the second
one being the least numerous):
1) compositions akin to the motetti missales, characterized by
homo-rhythmic texture, clear sectionalization, short and tuneful
phras-es, lively vocal orchestration, fermata chords, and so on; a
fine example is Quando venit ergo, a motet I will often refer to in
this paper, which is reproduced in full score in the Appendix;
2) motets in a contrapuntal (more or less imitative)4 texture
through-out, such as Regina coeli,5 Omnipotens aeterne Deus, or
Verbum sapi-entiae;
3) motets falling somehow in the middle between the two
extremes: a superius-tenor imitative relation is embedded into a
more or less homorhythmic texture, sometimes with fermata chords
sections. See, for instance, the group Castra coeliO rex
laetaImperatrix regi-narum.
Although a systematic exploration of the corpus of texts set to
music in the Milanese motet repertoire is still missing, many
authors have sketched its peculiar nature: heterogeneous
compilations from hymns, sequences, antiphons, litanies, rhythmic
offices, and so on, with the occasional addition of Bible verses or
newly composed seg-ments, in a mixture of prose and verse. These
texts reflect what has been defined as the Milanese fondness for
composite structures,6 and provide a rich and multifaceted
theological commentary on spe-cific feasts or aspects of Christian
liturgy (as in substitution motets). With a few exceptions, like
the Regina coeli, Gaffurios texts are per-fectly in line with this
tradition.
Beyond the different categories, these motets build a fairly
consist-ent set: the motivic repertoire, melodic and harmonic
formulae, ton-al and formal solutionsto say nothing of the explicit
links between some motetsdelineate a coherent and homogeneous
personal style: indeed an impressive one.
Motets.indb 384 29/02/12 08:10
-
Table 1. Motets by Gaffurio in Librone 1 (ordered according to
their position in the manuscript; all motets are four voice unless
stated)
motet system final sonority bars
Virgo prudentissima G 53
Beata progenies (3 voice) G 25Gloriosae Virginis Mariae (3
voice) G 51Sub tuam protectionem (3 voice) F 30Sponsa Dei electa G
38Hortus conclusus G 46Descendi in hortum G 48Tota pulchra es G
55Quando venit ergoAve corpus Jesu Christi G 27
79 G 52O sacrum convivium G 65Hoc gaudium G 53Gaude Virgo
gloriosa G 51Prodiit puerRes a saeculis C* 41
71 D 30Joseph conturbatus est D 28Gaude Mater luminisTe honorant
superi d* 36
70 D 34Ave mundi spes, Maria G* 38Regina caeli laetare F 58Salve
decus genitorisQui nepotes d* 67
131 G 64Salve Mater SalvatorisSalve Verbi sacra parens G 29
63 G 34Salve decus virginumO convallis humilis d* 53
100 G 47Tu thronus esSalve Mater pietatisVox eclipsim nesciens
d* 71
217 d* 68 G 78
Imperatrix gloriosaFlorem ergo genuistiRes miranda F* 72216 G
69
G 75Beate Sebastiane D 120Omnipotens aeterne Deus D 54Virgo Dei
digna G 64Verbum sapientiae G 21Castra caeli G 24O res laeta G
29Imperatrix reginarum G 32Promissa mundo gaudia G 85Magnum nomen
Domini (5 voice) F 34Audi benigne Conditor (5 voice) F 46Salve
mater SalvatorisInter natos mulierum G 71
136 G 65Stabat MaterAdoramus te Christe B 67
120 G 53
* Final sonorities marked with an asterisk are triads; all the
others do not contain the third.
Motets.indb 385 29/02/12 08:10
-
text, form, and style 386
7. Obviously, there are exceptions to the rule: see, for
instance, the incipit of the four voice O sacrum convivium, with an
11-breves-long melismatic and
sequential duet, sung by the higher voices and then repeated by
the lower ones (the rest of the motet, how-ever, has short phrases
throughout).
II. Text, form and style: some aspects of Gaffurios
tech-nique
I would like to concentrate on three aspects of the
interrelation-ship between text, form and style in these
motets:
1. phraseology and formal planning;2. expressive use of
homorhythmic textures and syllabicity;3. use of motivic and
structural relationships to achieve inter-
nal unification; thereafter, I will briefly consider the
parallel issue of intertextual relations.
1. Phraseology and formal planningFirst of all, it can be said
that Gaffurios phraseological units are
generally short: see, for instance, Ave mundi spes Maria or Tu
thronus es, where phraseological units are often no longer than 23
breves. This is a decisive factor for the achievement of a peculiar
listener-oriented formal clarity.7
One of Gaffurios favourite devices is the setting of 3-line
strophes in a corresponding ternary musical form (AAB).
Quasi-antecedent-consequent structures are closed by a third
segment, balancing the overall geometry by means of contrast, or
intensification, or both. O sacrum convivium provides two
remarkable examples of this proce-dure. At bars 45ff. a strophe
from the sequence Veni sancte Spiritus is sung. The two
contratenores (acutus and gravis) sing the first line in duet
(Veni, Sancte Spiritus); superius and tenor answer singing the
second line (et emitte caelitus) on different musicphrase length is
exactly the same (3 breves) but this duet is more homorhythmic and
text declamation is more synchronized, while the contratenores join
in on the last brevis, so that a four-voice texture is achieved;
then, the third line is sung homorhythmically a quattro (4 breves),
with a solemn slowing down of pace.
Table 2. F. Gaffurio, O sacrum convivium, AAB symmetry in bars
4555
segment bars notes
Veni, Sancte Spiritus, 4548 [3 ]
2 voice (CtAcCtGr)
et emitte caelitus 4851 [3 ]
2 voice (ST), then 4 voice
lucis tuae radium. 5155 [4]
4 voice
Motets.indb 386 29/02/12 08:10
-
daniele v. filippi 387
8. This part of the text is taken from the sequence Lauda
Sion.
Example 1. F. Gaffurio, O sacrum convivium, bars 4555
Besides the AAB phraseology, this fragment shows some other
typical features of Gaffurios writing, on which we shall return
later: the tunefulness of melodic lines, the progressive
introduction of ho-morhythmic textures, the importance of
phrase-length as an inde-pendent formal parameter.
Another structure of this sort follows in the last section (bars
55ff.): Caro cibus, sanguis potus / manet tamen Christus totus /
sub utraque specie.8
Table 3. F. Gaffurio, O sacrum convivium, AAB symmetry in bars
5565
segment bars notes
Caro cibus, sanguis potus 5557 [2 ]
4 voice
manet tamen Christus totus 5861 [3 ]
2 voice (S-CtAc)
sub utraque specie 6165 [4 ]
4 voice; triple metre; textual repetition
45
Superius
Contratenoracutus
Tenor
Contratenorgravis
Et
e
mit
- te
- cae
-
Ve
ni,
- - San
cte
- - - Spi
ri
- tus,
-
Et
e
mit
- te
- cae
-
Ve
ni,
- San
cte
- Spi
ri
- - - - - tus
-
50
li
- - - - tus
- lu
cis
- tu
ae
- ra
di
- - - - - um.
-
cae
li- tus
- lu
cis
- tu
ae
- ra
di
- - - - - - um.
-
li
- - - tus
- lu
cis
- tu
ae
- ra
di
- - - - - um.
-
cae
li
- - - tus
- lu
cis
- tu
ae
- - ra
di
- um.
-
Motets.indb 387 29/02/12 08:10
-
text, form, and style 388
9. See especially his Ave, stella matu-tina, in Gaspar van
Werbeke [sic], Messe e mottetti, ed. G. Tintori (AMMM, 11; Milano,
1963), pp. 812.
Example 2. F. Gaffurio, O sacrum convivium, bars 55-65
Clearly, in this treble-dominated texture the top-voice melodic
phrase of the second unit answers that of the first unit, building
a climax (significantly reaching the peak, d, on Chri[-stus]) and
driving to a cadence on b. The vocal orchestration indicates,
though, that this self-contained structure needs further expansion
to come to a full stop: the return to a full-voice texture combined
with the shift to triple metre (by means of coloration) brings this
episode, as well as the entire motet, to an appropriate conclusion,
beautifully highlighting the theological content of the text.
Similar passages can be found, for instance, in Weerbeke,9
perhaps the composer whose influence is most notable in Gaffurio:
but Gaf-furios use of characteristic short, syllabic, tuneful,
sharp-profiled phrases makes such structures even more intense in
his motets.
In the magnificent Stabat Mater, the AAB symmetry dominating the
text is reflected in the musical structure: at bars 1422, for
in-stance, two identical bicinia (2 breves + 2 breves ) are
followed by a closing phrase that breaks the metrical uniformity
and moves towards the cadence (3 breves ; see Example 3); later, at
bars 5058, a trio answering the low pair at the upper fifth (again
2 + 2 ) is fol-lowed by another cadential phrase sung by the four
voices together (4 breves); immediately afterward, bars 5967,
Gaffurio replicates the bicinia of bars 14ff., changing the vocal
scoring and modifying
56
S.
CtAc.
T.
CtGr.
Ca
ro
- ci
bus,
- san
guis
- po
tus,
- ma
net
- ta
men
- Chri
stus
- to
- - - - -
Ca
ro
- ci
bus,
- san
guis
- po
tus,
- ma
net
- ta
men
- Chri
stus
- to
- - - - -
Ca
ro
- ci
bus,
- san
guis
- po
tus,
-
Ca
ro
- ci
bus,
- san
guis
- po
tus,
-
61
tus
- sub
u
3
tra
- que
3
- spe
ci
3
- e
- sub
3
u
- tra
3
que
-
3
spe
ci
3
- e.
-
tus
- sub
u
3
tra
- que
3
- spe
ci
3
- e
- sub
3
u
- tra
3
que
-
3
spe
ci
3
- e.
-
sub
u
3
tra
- que
3
- spe
ci
3
- e
- sub
3
u
- tra
3
que
-
3
spe
ci
3
- e.
-
sub
u
3
tra
- que
3
- spe
ci
3
- e
- sub
3
u
- tra
3
que
-
3
spe
ci
3
- e.
-
Motets.indb 388 29/02/12 08:10
-
daniele v. filippi 389
the lower voice (2 + 2 ), but now he introduces a new concluding
phrase a quattro (4 breves).
Table 4. F. Gaffurio, Stabat Mater, AAB symmetry in bars 1422
and 5067
Example 3. F. Gaffurio, Stabat Mater, prima pars, bars 1422
Examples of these geometrical structures could be multiplied. In
the second part of the same motet, the metrical structure of the
text temporarily changes (Adoramus te, Christe ). When the text
re-sumes the AAB form (with strophes extracted no longer from
Stabat Mater, but from another de cruce poem) at first Gaffurio
does not seem to follow that scheme: see bars 24ff., Crux est virga
quae per-cussit / silicem bis et excussit / rivum vivum saeculo.
Given his fine sense for text structures, however, we cannot help
noting that a dou-ble enjambement alters the symmetry of these very
lines.
But in the following section, the last in the motet, the AAB
scheme looms again in the music, albeit in a more florid melodic
style and in less regular dimensional proportions (see Example 4):
from bar 36 to the end, we have again two periodical bicinia
(CtAcCtGr, 5 brevesST, 6 ), followed by a closing phrase sung by
the four voices, and the final Amen in fermata chords. In spite of
the different melodic
bars scoring text length phrase notes
1422
1416 SCtAc Dulce lignum, lignum vitae 2 Aidentical bicinia
1719 TCtGr venerari convenite, 2 A
1922 tutti salvi ligni pretio. 3 B
5058
5052 TCtGr Quis est homo qui non fleret 2 A1
5254SCtAcCtGr
Christi Matrem si videret 2 A2SCtAc answer at the upper
fifth
5558 tutti in tanto supplitio? 4 B
5967
5961 CtAcCtGr Ligno crucis fabricatur 2 A~= 1419
6163 ST archa Noe, qua salvatur 2 A
6467 tutti mundus a miseria. 4 B new material
15
S.
CtAc.
T.
CtGr.
Dul
ce
- li
gnum,
- li
gnum
- vi
tae
-
sal
vi
- li
gni
- pre
- ti
o.
-
Dul
ce
- li
gnum,
- li
gnum
- vi
tae
-
sal
vi
- li
gni
- pre
- ti
o.
-
ve
ne
- ra
- ri
- con
ve
- ni
- te
- sal
vi
- li
gni
- pre
ti
- o.
-
ve
ne
- ra
- ri
- con
ve
- ni
- te
- sal
vi
- li
gni
- pre
- ti
o.
-
Motets.indb 389 29/02/12 08:10
-
text, form, and style 390
10. While, for instance, the caden-tial goals (ddg) comply with
the A1A2B phraseological struc-ture, the linear progression of the
top voice opening pitches (d-f-b !) operates on another level.
11. The contratenor acutus actu-ally goes on singing the segment
et vox turturis, but the sonic result is virtually the same.
12. For further examples of rhetoric-ori-ented structures see:
Hortus conclu-sus, bars 2633, where a duet singing the word
melliflui is answered by another duet singing facti sunt coeli,
then the whole phrase mel-liflui facti sunt coeli is sung by 34
voices. Descendi in hortum meum, bars 1327: cantus and tenor sing
ut viderem , contratenor acutus and gravis sing et inspicerem ,
can-tus and tenor again sing si floruis-sent , contratenor acutus
and gravis add si floruissent mala, si floruissent mala , and on
the mala punica a 34voice texture is finally reached.
style, tunefulness and the multilayered geometrical
correspondence between these phrases cannot be overlooked.10
Example 4. F. Gaffurio, Stabat Mater, secunda pars, bars
3653
In some cases, the phraseological architecture follows a clear
rhe-torical orientation: in Tota pulchra, bars 43ff., the textual
segment et vox turturis audita est is sung by different vocal
groups in two dis-tinct statements without any motivic
interrelationships. In the first statement, superius and tenor sing
the words et vox turturis in duet, and are joined by the
contratenor acutus on audita est; in the second one, contratenor
acutus and contratenor gravis sing et vox turturis and the answer
leads to a tutti texture.11 Thus, a 23 voice statement is followed
by a 24 voice statement, in a composite but transparent climax
further enriched by the imitation between contratenor gravis and
tenor of bars 4851, that one is tempted to regard as a
Textausdeutung.12
Gaffurios command of the diverse factors that allow for a
rhetori-cal orientation of form is evident also in passages like
Quando venit ergo, bars 18ff. (see Appendix). On the words atque
ventre virginali the contratenor gravis sings in duet first with
the contratenor acu-tus (bars 1820), then with the tenor (bars
2022), while the follow-ing segment caro factus prodiit is sung by
the four voices together. Rhythmic imitation links the duets, but
melodic imitation links tenor and superius (bars 2022), although on
different textual units.
37
S.
CtAc.
T.
CtGr.
Chri
ste,
- dul
ce
-
fac
et
Quod
in no
bis
- est
a
ma
-
- - - rum
Chri
ste,
-
dul
ce
- fac
et
Quod
in
no
bis
- - est
a
- ma
rum
-
45
sa
- - num
tu
ae
- cru
cis
- gra
ti
- - a.
- A
- - - - men.
tu
ae
- cru
cis
- - gra
ti
- a.
- A
- - - - men.
sa
- - - - num
tu
ae
- cru
cis
- - gra
ti
- a.
- A
men.
- - - -
tu
ae
- cru
cis
- gra
ti
- a.
- A
- - - - men.
Motets.indb 390 29/02/12 08:10
-
daniele v. filippi 391
The textural chiaroscuro (the second duet is lower and allows
the en-trance of the superius at bar 21 to be more effective), the
broadening of the overall vocal gamut (with the emergence of the
superius and the descent of the contratenor gravis from b to G),
the expansion of phrase-length and the gradual abandonment of
homophony her-ald the approaching of an important cadence. The
formal outline, marked by a perfect tension, is thus the result of
a complex and at the same time clear rhetorical strategy, connected
to the preparation and realization of a convincing conclusion for
the first part of the motet.
In Gaude Mater luminis there is a peculiar formal construction,
based on a recurring block of fermata-chords on the word Maria (see
Table 5). The block of three chords, always introduced by a rest,
appears alternatively in two forms: dC6d (M1 in the table) and dgd
(M2 in the table).13
Table 5. F. Gaffurio, Gaude Mater luminis, structure
Although the four strophes in the text of each part are of the
same length, the corresponding musical segments have different
propor-tions. The scheme is fairly regular: a long segment + Maria
block type 1 + a short segment + Maria block type 2. The symmetry
be-tween the two parts is further enhanced by means of a mensural
shift in the segment preceding the last Maria block.14 This kind of
formal planning, though respecting the partitions of the text, is
largely independent from its proportions.
To sum up these remarks on phraseology and form: Gaffurio
re-acts to text structures in various ways. Particularly noteworthy
is the association of tunefulness (cantabilit) and binary or
ternary phra-seological structures. Gaffurio shows a keen sense for
phraseological proportions, often independent from text
proportions; and he fre-quently organizes form according to
rhetorical strategies.
pars segment length cadential goal block form
I
Gaude Mater luminis / quam divini numinis / visitavit gratia. 12
F M1Virga Dei regia / flore fructu candida / divina potentia. 5 a0
M2Tu virtutum speculum / prelustrasti saeculum / luce claritatis.
10 F/d M1Plena Dei munere / meruisti gignere / prolem sanctitatis.
5 d M2
II
Te honorant superi / matrem omnis gratiae. 10 a/d0 M1
Ad te clamant miseri / de valle miseriae. 6+ d0 M2Audi preces,
terge fletus, / nos commenda Filio. 8 F0 M1Ut nos tua prece suo /
collocet in solio. 3+ F0 M2Amen. 2 d0
M1= dC6d / M2 = dgd
13. About the insistence on the nomen sacrum Maria in Milanese
motets and related works by Gaspar van Weerbeke, Loyset Compre, and
Josquin des Prez, and the prob-able link with Galeazzo Maria
Sforza, see Macey, Galeazzo Maria Sforza and Musical Patronage in
Milan, particularly pp. 155ff.
14. By means of an extensive coloration (in the secunda pars the
Amen follow-ing the last block is in triple metre as well, again
through coloratio).
Motets.indb 391 29/02/12 08:10
-
text, form, and style 392
2. Expressive use of homorhythmic textures and syllabicityA
second relevant point concerns the exploitation of the contrast
between non-homorhythmic and homorhythmic textures and be-tween
different text-setting styles for expressive purposes.
Virgo prudentissima is more melismatic than average among
Gaf-furios motets: this is, perhaps, partly owing to the presence
of many precious Marian attributes deriving from the Song of Songs
(aurora rutilans filia Sion tota formosa pulchra ut luna electa ut
sol). The texture is prevailingly non-homorhythmic, but the few
passages in which two or more voices sing together the same words
are carefully chosen, revealing a conscious expressive strategy:
the opening tricinium and bicinium on the words Virgo prudentissima
(bars 18), the word pulchra (bars 356), and the last word,
claman-tibus (bars 513). On the other hand, notwithstanding the
general melismatic disposition, the melisma in semiminimae on
aurora in the superius, being doubled in tenths by the tenor,
contrasts with what precedes, looming as a peculiar sound object
and thus bearing an expressive character.
Example 5. F. Gaffurio, Virgo prudentissima, bars 1119
The same kind of enhancement of textual units can be found, for
instance, in Promissa mundo gaudia: the only homorhythmic passage
in four voices falls on [in prole] fulsit deitas, munere fatali
(bars 359), the core, the crucial point in this text.
11
S.
CtAc.
T.
CtGr.
ris
qua
si
- - - - - - - - au
- - - - - -
pro
gre
-
- - - - - de
ris
- qua
si
- - - au
-
si
au
ro
-
- - - - - -
qua
si
- - - au
ro
-
ra
- - - - - -
17
ro
- - ra?
-
ro
-
- ra
val
- - - - de
ru
- - ra
val
- - -
val
- - - - - -
Motets.indb 392 29/02/12 08:10
-
daniele v. filippi 393
In other cases it is the combination of two distinct factorsthe
shift to homorhythmic counterpoint and the adoption of syllabic
declamation with a steady pulsethat marks a turning-point in the
motet. In Quando venit ergo, on the words sacri plenitudo temporis,
missus est ab arce Patris natus orbis conditor, bars 917 (see
edi-tion in appendix), there is a first convergence on plenitudo,
then a cadence, then a new phrase with a lively syllabic
declamation (an-ticipated by the contratenor gravis on temporis),
in which only the two contratenores sing in homophony; on natus
orbis conditor, the four voices finally sing together, emphasizing
the paradox of In-carnation expressed by these words which is
central to the whole text. Distinct constructive levels converge
here, contributing to high-light this textual focus: on missus est
ab arce Patris we have the only movement to C in the entire
cadential plan (see Table 6 below), pointing toward the durus side
of the tonal system; and imitation is introduced for the first time
on these same words, exactly where pulse and declamation result in
a powerful condensation.
It is precisely in the light of such passages that the
conventional view of Gaffurios style as somehow unemotional and
almost exclu-sively oriented toward a neutral deutliche
Prsentation15 of the text should be questioned. The study of his
motets shows him as a com-poser experimenting with moderate but
nevertheless variable and ef-fective text-expressive
solutions.16
3. Unifying strategies and intertextualityMusical unity within
the single motet figures clearly among the pri-
orities in Gaffurios agenda. Obviously, in order to achieve this
goal, he uses various methods, working on motivic elaboration,
cadences, recurring melodic or harmonic elements (as we have
already seen in Gaude Mater luminis), and so on. Two cases seem
particularly strik-ing. In Promissa mundo gaudia Gaffurio employs
insistent chains of melodic / harmonic cells migrating from voice
to voice on different pitch levels in various segments of the motet
(the presence of these cells affects directly almost the half of
the 85 bars).
15. See L. Finscher and A. Lauben-thal, Cantiones quae vulgo
motec-tae vocantur. Arten der Motette im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert,
in Die Musik des 15. und 16. Jahrhun-derts, ed. L. Finscher (Neues
Hand-buch der Musikwissenschaft, 3; Laaber, 1990), pp. 277370, at
p. 337.
16. A different example of these strate-gies can be found in the
second part of Quando venit ergo (see appendix): at
bars 368, where the text deals with the descent of Christ from
heaven (in his Incarnation as well as in the Eucharist), the
contratenor acu-tus sings a plain descending hexa-chord (qui de
caelo), while the tenor answers first with an ascending hexa-chord
and then with a similar descent (descendisti). I wish to thank Adam
Gilbert, who pointed out this passage during the discussion of this
paper.
Motets.indb 393 29/02/12 08:10
-
text, form, and style 394
17. In which, by the way, masterly expres-sive touches are to be
seen, like the turn to b! at the end of the segment Christi sanguis
ave: the first occur-rence of this cadential goal, reached through
F after four fermata chords insisting on g, lends a porten-tous
ecstatic character to this pas-sage. Using the simplest devices
(the change of register in the lower voices between Christi and
sanguis, the contrast between static and dynamic harmonies),
Gaffurio achieves once more a powerful text expression.
Example 6. F. Gaffurio, Promissa mundo gaudia, bars 1127
If the case of Promissa mundo gaudia is rather unique, many
motets share the motivic unity and cadential uniformity we can
observe for instance in Quando venit ergo. As shown in Example 7,
basically the same melodic cadential formula, though in different
variations, re-curs throughout the motet (a climactic expansion can
be observed, whose apex corresponds to the ardent segment amor et
desideri-um). A closer look at the cadential plan reveals the
recurrence of one polyphonic cadential model as well, in two
variant forms (marked by a triangle in Table 6), functioning as a
further tool of unification in an already clear, homogeneous,
symmetrical tonal plan.17
11
gra
ti
- a
-
gra
ti
- - - - - - - - - - a
-
hac
-
di
a
-
su
per
-
na
- - -
sol
vit
- - -
gra
ti
- - - a
-
per
na
- - sol
vit
- - - -
gra
ti
- - - a
-
per
na
- -
sol
vit
- -
gra
- - - ti
a
-
18
di
e
- - - - - - na
ta
- - -
- - - -
gra
ti
- - - a
- hac
di
e
- - - - - - -
na
-
hac
di
e
- - - - - nat
ta
-
- - - li.
hac
di
e
- - - -
na
ta
-
- li.
24
- - - - - li.
ta
- li.
-
In
vir
gi
- - ne
-
foe
-
In
vir
gi
- ne
- foe
cun
- di
- - -
In
vir
gi
- - ne
-
foe
cun
- - - -
Motets.indb 394 29/02/12 08:10
-
daniele v. filippi 395
Example 7. F. Gaffurio, Quando venit ergo, synopsis of melodic
cadences
I, bars 3-6
I, bars 25-27
II, bars 38-40
II, bars 60-63
II, bars 67-71
II, bars 76-79
Motets.indb 395 29/02/12 08:10
-
text, form, and style 396
segmentbars
(lenght) structure cadences
Quando venit ergo sacriplenitudo temporis
113[12 ]
dense four voice counterpoint, then tending toward homorhythmic
texture
6: g; 9: g; 10: d; 13: B /g
missus est ab arce Patris natus orbis conditor
1317[5]
declamatory pseudoimitation, then progressively homorhythmic
15: C0; 17: g0
atque ventre virginali 1822[5]
duets: CtAcCtGr, then TCtGr 20: g0; 22: g
caro factus prodiit. 2127[6 ]
final four voice cadence 27: g0
Ave corpus Jesu Christi,2835
[8]fermata chords 35: d
qui de coelo descendisti!3640
[5]animated homorhythmic texture 40: g0
Ave Verbum incarnatum,4148
[8]fermata chords 48: F
in altari consecratum!4953
[5]animated homorhythmic texture 53: F/d
Christi sanguis ave,5459
[6]fermata chords 59: B0
coeli sanctissime potus!6063
[4]animated homorhythmic texture 63: g0
Jesu nostra redemptio,6467
[4]duet CtAcCtGr 67: F0
amor et desiderium,6771
[4]duet ST 71: B0
Deus Creator omnium,7174
[4]duet CtAcCtGr 74: F
homo in fine temporum.7479
[5 ]final four voice cadence 79: g0
type
cadence
(cadences marked with are variants of )
Table 6. F. Gaffurio, Quando venit ergo, structure and cadential
plan
Motets.indb 396 29/02/12 08:10
-
daniele v. filippi 397
18. Ludwig Finscher, in his Loyset Com-pre (c.14501518): Life
and Works (n.p., 1964), p. 90, suggested a cycle encom-passing fols
71v75 (that is to say: Quando venit ergo, O sacrum convivium, Hoc
gaudium, Gaude Virgo gloriosa); other scholars, like Thomas Noblitt
in The Motetti Missales of the Late Fifteenth Century (Ph.D. diss.,
Uni-versity of Texas, 1964), pp. 20839, are less inclined to
acknowledge the existence of hidden or incom-plete cycles; see a
critic of this rather stiff position in D. E. Crawfords review in
Current Musicology, 10 (1970), pp. 10210, at pp. 1056, and, in
posi-tive and more general terms, L. Halp-ern Ward, The Motetti
Missales Repertory Reconsidered, JAMS, 39 (1986), pp. 491523. On
the problem of identifying cycles and their struc-tures, see also
A. Lindmayr-Brandl, Gaspar van Weerbeke and the Motet Sancti
spiritus adsit nobis. An Ana-lytic Study Within the Diplomatic
Environment of the motetti missales, Musica Disciplina, 46 (1992),
pp. 10513, and P. A. Merkley and L. L. M. Mer-kley, Music and
Patronage in the Sforza Court (Turnhout, 1999), pp. 33257.
19. Fols 68v73r.20. Fols 73v80r (though with the inter-
polation of the apparently non-linked
Gaude Virgo gloriosa at fols 74v75r). Prodiit puer, Joseph
conturbatus est and Gaude mater are in triple metre.
21. Analecta Hymnica, liv, 374. Castra coeli sets the first two
strophes, O res laeta the following two (of six in all).
22. Analecta Hymnica, xx, 154. Note that the two poems are
metrically related.
23. This is true also from the mensu-ral point of view: Castra
coeli and O res laeta bear the sign circulum diminutum, Imperatrix
reginarum the half-circle.
24. Note the similar voice dispo-sition (131 in Magnum nomen
Domini, 121 in Quando venit ergo).
Intertextual references between different motets are quite
frequent. Prominent motivic relationships between the openings of
consecu-tive motets in Librone 1 suggest the existence of other
veritable cycles besides Salve Mater luminis, as already noted by
other scholars.18 The question clearly needs to be reconsidered,
but here it would take us too far. Anyway, it is worth noting that
a chain of references links Hortus conclusus, Descendi in hortum,
Tota pulchra, Quando venit ergo, O sacrum convivium;19 and another
chain links Hoc gaudium, Prodiit puer, Joseph conturbatus est,
Gaude mater20 (but the non-consecutive Omnipo-tens aeterne Deus too
opens with the same motivic cell).
Other motivic relations in internal segmentscombined with
structural analogieslink, for instance, another consecutive trio of
Marian motets: Castra coeli, O res laeta (whose texts derive from
the same poem)21 and Imperatrix reginarum.22 A significant motivic
rela-tionship subsists between Castra coeli and O res laeta in
correspond-ence with the last two lines of the first strophe: the
prominent phrase sung by the contratenor gravis in Castra coeli at
bars 1011 (gab acb ag) recurs with identical rhythmic values in O
res laeta in a ten-or-superius imitation at bars 911; the next
phrase in Castra coeli (bars 1213), somehow extending the previous
one (b cdcb a), returns as well in O res laeta (bars 1517), albeit
after another segment. In both motets, moreover, the following
segment has the typically Gaffurian declamation pace in couples of
minimae. The descending incipit mo-tive of Imperatrix reginarum
closely recalls that of Castra coeli; at bars 19ff. tenor and
superius sing again the gab acb ag phrase in imitation. A web of
further motivic references emerges (compare for instance the
contratenor gravis in Imperatrix reginarum, bars 1720, and O res
laeta, bars 1920). All in all, the compositional project seems to
reflect the AAB symmetry of the three texts: Imperatrix reginarum
has some elements in common with Castra coeli and O res laeta, but
resembles them less than they resemble one another.23
Another kind of internal intertextuality links Quando venit ergo
and Magnum nomen Domini. Where identical textual segments occur in
the two motets, patent rhythmic and structural analogies are to be
seen, even in the absence of motivic relations. See in Example 8
another instance of Gaffurios syllabic declamation (bars 23ff.),
the entries on missus est ab arce Patris (compare bars 257 here
with bars 1315 in Quando venit ergo),24 and the overall design,
already de-scribed above, with a contrapuntal segment, then a
progressive shift to homorhythmic texture, then strict homophony on
natus orbis conditor.
Motets.indb 397 29/02/12 08:10
-
text, form, and style 398
25. Merkley and Merkley, Music and Patronage in the Sforza
Court, p. 349, include its second part in a list of
ele-vation-style pieces by Gaffurio in
Librone 1, that in their view could possibly have been used ad
Eleva-tionem outside any cycle whatsoever.
They do not seem, though, to take into consideration its being a
second part, and not an independent piece.
Example 8. F. Gaffurio, Magnum nomen Domini, bars 1629
Another kind of intertextual reference, pointing outside
Gaffurios oeuvre, will be addressed in the last part of this
paper.
III. Quando venit ergo: Gaffurio, Ockeghem and Josquin?
The motet in two parts Quando venit ergoAve corpus Jesu Christi,
already mentioned in previous remarks, provides a fine example of
Gaffurios humanistic-devotional style. It may clearly have been
conceived as a loco Sanctus motet, whether or not it can be
ascribed to a real cycle of motetti missales (see above):25 as in
Weerbekes cycle
16
Quan
do
- ve
nit
- er
go
-
sa
- - cri
Quan
do
- - ve
- nit
er
- go
sa
cri
-
Quan
do
- - - ve
nit
- - - - - - -
ae.
Quan
do
- ve
nit
- er
go
- sa
cri
-
Quan
do
- - - ve
- - - nit
quan
do
- ve
nit
- er
go
- sa
cri
-
2323
ple
ni
- tu
- do
- tem
po
- ris,
-
mis
sus
- est
ab
ar
ce
- Pa
tris
- na
tus
- or
bis
- con
di
- tor,
-
ple
ni- tu
- do
- tem
po- ris,
- mis
sus
- est
ab
ar
ce
-
Pa
tris
- na
tus
- or
bis
- con
di
- tor,
-
ple
ni- tu
- do
-
tem
po
- ris,
- mis
sus
- est
ab
ar
ce- Pa
tris
- na
tus
- or
bis
- con
di
- tor,
-
ple
ni
- tu
- do
- tem
po
- ris,
- mis
sus
- est
ab
ar
ce
- Pa
tris
- na
tus
- or
bis
- con
di
- tor,
-
ple
ni
- tu
- do
- tem
po
- ris
-
mis
sus
- est
ab
ar
ce
- Pa
tris
- na
tus
- or
bis
- con
di
- tor,
-
Motets.indb 398 29/02/12 08:10
-
daniele v. filippi 399
26. Edited in Messe e mottetti, pp. 4475.27. Cf. Halpern Ward,
The Motetti
Missales Repertory Reconsidered, p. 516, n. 42. As Philip Weller
help-fully recalled during the discussion of this paper, highly
sectionalized move-ments with fermata-chords are espe-cially apt
for synchronization with liturgy: the crucial moment of Eleva-
tion (see below for liturgic-theological commentaries) would
probably bene-fit in the most effective way from this
synchronization. On fermata chords sections in the contemporary
reper-toire see also B. J. Blackburn, The Dis-pute about Harmony c.
1500 and the Creation of a New Style, in Thorie et analyse
musicales 14501650: Actes du collo-
que international Louvain-la-Neuve, 2325 septembre 1999, ed. A.
E. Ceulemans and B. J. Blackburn (Publications dhistoire de lart et
darchologie de lUniversit catholique de Louvain C / Musicolo-gica
neolovaniensia, Studia IX; Lou-vain-la-Neuve, 2001), pp. 137.
Quam pulchra es, for instance,26 its first part is contrapuntal,
while the secon d, related to the Elevation of the Host, is
prevailingly homo-rhythmic and has fermata-chords sections.27 The
text is a character-istic Milanese assemblage (see Table 7): the
first part corresponds to the fourth strophe of the hymn Pange
lingua by Venantius Fortuna-tus, while the second part includes
snippets from various eucharistic hymns (lines 14), from the poem
Christi corpus ave (lines 56) and from the hymn for the lauds of
the Ascension Jesu nostra redemptio (lines 710).
Table 7. F. Gaffurio, Quando venit ergo, text and textual
sources
textual source
I. Quando venit ergo sacriplenitudo temporismissus est ab arce
Patris natus orbis conditoratque ventre virginali caro factus
prodiit.
from Venantius Fortunatus, Pange lingua (strophe IV); biblical
source: Gal. 4:4, At ubi venit plenitudo temporis, misit Deus
Filium suum factum ex muliere.
II.
Ave corpus Jesu Christiqui de coelo descendisti!Ave Verbum
incarnatumin altari consecratum!
cfr. hymns in Analecta Hymnica: xxxi, 109 (1. Ave Verbum
incarnatum / In altari consecratum, / Verus panis angelorum / Salus
spes christianorum. // 2. Salve [or: Ave] corpus Jesu Christi / Qui
de caelo descendisti / Pro vera mundi salute / Libera nos
servitute.); see also xv, 56 etc.
Christi sanguis ave, coeli sanctissime potus!
from the anonimous poem Christi corpus ave, sancta de virgine
natum, Analecta Hymnica, xlviii, 95: Christi Corpus, ave, sancta de
virgine natum, / Viva caro, Deitas integra, verus homo. // Salve
vera salus, vis, vita, redemptio mundi / Liberet a cunctis nos tua
dextera malis. // Christe Sanguis, ave, coeli sanctissime potus, /
Unda salutaris crimina nostra lavans. // Sanguis ave lateris
Christi de vulnere sparse, / In cruce pendens unda salutaris
ave.
Jesu, nostra redemptio,amor et desiderium, Deus creator
omnium,homo in fine temporum.
Lauds hymn In festo Ascensionis (strophe I), Analecta Hymnica,
ii, 49
Motets.indb 399 29/02/12 08:10
-
text, form, and style 400
28. Paul and Lora Merkley have cast doubt on the latter cycles
attri-bution to Compre (Merkley and Merkley, Music and Patronage in
the Sforza Court, pp. 339 and 345); however, the problem of
author-ship is as good as irrelevant here.
29. The situation is slightly different in the third of Compres
substitution cycles (Missa Hodie nobis de Virgine), where the first
part of the Sanctus is sung with its usual text, while the
Osanna-Benedictus is substituted by a section prevailingly in
fermata-chords on the words Verbum caro factum est, et habitavit in
nobis, et vidimus gloriam eius (Gv 1:14); then a post Elevationem
motet follows, set-ting the hymn strophe Memento salutis auctor,
again on the theme of Incarnation (obviously a basic motif in this
Christmas Mass). In the Salve Mater Salvatoris cycle by Gaffurio
him-self, the correspondences between motets and mass movements is
a mat-ter of discussion (see the Introduc-tion to the edition in
AMMM, 5, p. iv, and Merkley and Merkley, Music and Patronage in the
Sforza Court, pp. 3423, with further literature). Looking at the
theological content, the hypo-thesis that the three-part Tu thronus
es as a whole should be the loco Sanctus motet finds further
credit: its first and second parts, though addressed to Mary,
gradually focus on the Incar-nation, while the last section of the
third part has fermata chords on the text Jesu, Verbum summi
Patris, and is addressed to Christ, proba-bly intended as the
elevated Host.
30. Rationale divinorum officiorum, iv, 34, 7 and 11. I quote
the French trans-lation: Guillaume Durand, Le sens spirituel de la
liturgie, ed. D. Millet-Grard (Genve, 2003), pp. 2946.
31. Ibid., iv, 41, 51 (modern edition, p. 364).
The theological content of the text is perfectly fitting and
matches, for instance, with those of two missales cycles by Loyset
Compre (the so called Missa Galeazescha and Missa Ave Domine Jesu
Christe),28 where the loco Sanctus section contemplates the mystery
of Incarnation and of the theandric unity in Christ, with a more or
less pronounced Marian flavour, while the following ad Elevationem
movement, begin-ning in both cases with the words Adoramus te
Christe, features an adoration attitude (reflected in the music by
the adoption of fermata chords).29 Clearly, the substitution of a
part of the ordinarium missae through a motet may provide a
valuable theological commentary on that moment of the divine
liturgy: in Quando venit ergo the text does not only present the
classic parallelism between Incarnation and eu-charistic
Transubstantiation, but alludes to the interconnection of some of
the central mysteries of Christian faithChrists humanity, his
Passion, Resurrection and Ascension (symbolically associated to the
Elevation of the consecrated Host). This is very well in line with
the traditional interpretation of liturgy. Guillaume Durand
(c.123096) writes in his highly influential Rationale divinorum
officiorum:
Lorsque nous disons Benedictus qui venit etc., nous rendons
grces tout spcialement du bienfait de la rdemption. Puisquen effet
il est nces-saire au salut ternel de confesser le mystre de
lIncarnation, cest bon droit que lon ajoute Benedictus qui venit in
nomine Domini.
Quand commence le Sanctus, nous devons nous tenir debout et
in-clins, parce que nous vnrons alors lIncarnation et la majest
di-vines, reconnues par le chant des anges et des hommes. Ensuite,
en disant Benedictus etc., puisque ces mots sont tirs de lvangile,
nous devons faire le signe de croix ou nous revtir de ltendard de
la croix, parce que cest par la croix que le Christ a triomph et
nous fait tri-ompher.
partir de maintenant, en gestes et en parole, cest la Passion du
Christ, qui est reprsente.30
And on the meaning of the Elevation:
Aprs avoir dit ces paroles: Ceci est mon corps, le prtre lve le
corps du Christ Il le fait, dabord pour que tous ceux qui sont
prsents le voient et demandent ce qui est utile au salut, selon
cette parole: Si je suis lev de terre, etc.. Ensuite, pour montrer
quil ny a pas dautre sacrifice digne, quil est au-dessus de toutes
les victimes. Tr-oisimement, lexaltation de leucharistie dans les
mains du prtre signifie le Christ vrai pain exalt par les Prophtes
dans les critures, notamment lorsquils prophtisaient son
Incarnation, ainsi Isae: Voici quune vierge concevra; et que cette
nourriture serait la plus excellente de toutes. Il en va de mme du
breuvage. Quatrimement llvation signifie la Rsurrection.31
Let us go back to the music. The motet is characterized by a
strong sectionalization, and richness of contrasts on many
different levels
Motets.indb 400 29/02/12 08:10
-
daniele v. filippi 401
(rhythm, dimensional proportions, texture and so on), balanced
by a strong endeavour to melodic, cadential and tonal unity, as
suggested by Example 7 and Table 6 discussed above.
The very opening of the motet is rather uncommon: in fact, this
is the only motet by Gaffurio in Librone 1 to open with a
contra-puntal segment sung by the four voices together, while he
usually employs imitative textures or contrapuntal duets or
homophony. This anomaly concealsor perhaps I had better say
revealsan inter-textual reference: Gaffurio is quoting Johannes
Ockeghems chan-son Dun autre amer, as shown in Example 9 (Ockeghems
tenor and discantus are exchanged in Gaffurios reinvention of the
passage). Afterwards (bars 36) Gaffurio reuses the beginning of the
second discantus phrase in Ockeghems refrain (bars 912): and it is
precisely from this phrase that the ubiquitous cadential formula
discussed above derives.
Ockeghems setting of this rondeau quatrain hardly needs to be
introduced: one of his earliest chansons,32 widely disseminated,
re-worked and referenced by composers like Agricola, Tinctoris,
Ba-siron, Pierre de la Rue, Marbriano de Orto and obviously
Josquin.
We know from his writings that Gaffurio had a deep knowledge of
Ockeghems music: he cites Ockeghem, for instance, not only in his
Practica musicae of 1496, but also in his earlier manuscript
treatise Tractatus practicabilium proportionum, usually dated to
1482.33 Gaffu-rio was probably influenced in this by Johannes
Tinctoris, who had a deep critical knowledge of Ockeghems oeuvre.34
But what is the reason for this quotation, and what is its meaning?
As a matter of fact, the text of this chanson can be read under the
perspective of spiritual, sacred love:
Dun autre amer mon cueur sabesseroit;il ne fault ja penser que
je lestrangene que pour rien de ce propos me changecar mon honneur
en appetisseroit.
Je laime tant que jamais ne seroit possible a moi de consentir
leschange.Dun autre amer
La mort, par Dieu, avant me desferoitquen mon vivant
jacoinctasse ung estrangene cuide nul qua cela je me range:ma leaut
trop fort se mesferoit.Dun autre amer
These words could easily be understood as spoken by the devout
professing his loyalty to God or to Christ in the Eucharistor even,
on the other hand, by Christ professing his faithfulness to his
mys-tical Spouse, with an allusion to the sacrifice of his death.
Vague as this interpretation may seem, Gaffurio is not alone in
quoting
32. It is usually dated to the early 1460s: see D. Fallows,
Johannes Ockeg-hem: The Changing Image, the Songs and a New Source,
Early Music, 12 (1984), pp. 21830, at p. 223, and id., A Catalogue
of Polyphonic Songs: 14151480 (New York, 1999).
33. See C. A. Miller, Early Gaffuri-ana: New Answers to Old
Ques-tions, The Musical Quarterly, 56 (1970), pp. 36788, at p.
375.
34. Concerning Ockeghems relation with the Milanese milieu,
contacts between the Ducal court and the composer are documented
for the early 1470s: Ockeghem was acting as a kind of external
consultant for the recruitment of singers for the Ducal chapel (see
Merkley and Merkley, Music and Patronage in the Sforza Court, p.
80). No compositions by Ocke-ghem figure in the Libroni della
Ven-eranda Fabbrica; thus, unfortunately, given the codicological
desert sur-rounding the Libroni, we do not know anything about the
actual cir-culation of his music in Milan.
Motets.indb 401 29/02/12 08:10
-
text, form, and style 402
Discantus
Tenor
Superius
Tenor
Ockeghem
Gaffurio
#
T.
na
tus
-or
bis
-con
di
-tor
-
Exam
ple
9. G
affu
rio
quot
ing
Ock
eghe
m in
Qua
ndo
veni
t erg
o (r
educ
tion)
Motets.indb 402 29/02/12 08:10
-
daniele v. filippi 403
35. See H. M. Brown, Music in the French Secular Theater:
14001550 (Cambridge, MA, 1963), pp. 20910; H. Meconi, Art-song
Reworkings: an Overview, JRMA, 119 (1994), pp. 142, at pp. 289; E.
Jas, Ockeghem as a model, in Johannes Ockeghem: actes du XLe
col-loque international dtudes humanistes: Tours, 38 fvrier 1997,
ed. P. Vendrix (Paris, 1998), pp. 75785, at p. 777; Fal-lows, A
Catalogue of Polyphonic Songs.
36. Probably the oldest composi-tion of the group, dating back
to the early 1470s: see R. C. Wegman, The Anonymous Mass DUng
aul-tre amer: A Late Fifteenth-Cen-tury Experiment, The Musical
Quarterly, 74 (1990), pp. 56694.
37. Josquins Missa Dung aultre amer is usually ascribed to his
early period, like all his other compositions quot-ing this songsee
M. J. Bloxam, Masses on Polyphonic Songs and Canonic Masses, in
Josquin Com-panion, ed. R. Sherr (Oxford, 2000), pp. 151209, at pp.
160ff.; in the light of the recent reassessment of Jos-quins
biography, it can be said to be either a Milanese work of the
1480s, or a Milanese-inspired work of the 1470s, or a
misattribution. The short-est among Josquins masses, accord-ing to
Finscher it curiously resembles works by Gaffurio like the Missa de
Carneval and Missa brevis et expedita: it is however difficult to
determine the direction of the compositional influ-ence (L.
Finscher, Four-Voice Motets, in Josquin Companion, pp. 24979, at p.
257). Matters have been further complicatedwrote Bonnie Black-burn
in the Critical Commentary of NJE, xxii / 2, p. 46 (see the next
note)by the discovery that the anony-mous Missa Dung aultre amer in
Jena 31 shares its Gloria [] with Jos-quins Missa Dung aultre
amer.
38. See NJE, xxii: Motets on non-bib-lical texts 2: De Domino
Jesu Christo, ed. B. J. Blackburn (Utrecht, 2003), pp. 438.
39. Ibid., pp. 3842.40. This second part could possibly have
been added later, but it is stylistically congruent, and there
is no reason to reject its attribution to Josquin (see the Critical
commentary of the NJE vol-ume cited above, pp. 3940 and 45).
41. It must be noted, however, that Gaf-furios motet (standing
probably loco Sanctus, as said) bears the quote at the very
beginning of its first part,
while Josquins Tu solus (probably in itself an Elevation motet
loco Benedic-tus) has the quote in the second part.
Dun autre amer within sacred compositions.35 We know of at least
two anonymous masses (in I-Rvat, Ms. San Pietro B 8036 and D-Ju
31), an anonymous Regina coeli (in I-Rvat, Ms. Capp. Sist. 63), and
most of all a well-known and substantial group of compositions by
Josquin Desprez: a mass,37 a Sanctus, the motets Victimae paschali
laudes and Tu solus qui facis mirabiliaworks that still seem to be
unanimously at-tributed to him, and are generally related to his
early period.
Leaving aside the other works by Josquin, I will consider
briefly the two motets. In Victimae paschali laudes,38 Josquin
admirably com-bines the melody of the Easter sequence (sung
alternatively by the three lower voices) with the discantus of
Ockeghems Dun autre amer in the first part, and with the discantus
of Hayne van Ghizegems De tous biens plaine in the second part,
respectively. Josquin possibly noticed that the first phrase in the
tenor of Ockeghems chanson looked de facto like an ornamented
version of the incipit of the se-quence, and hence he developed
this daring combinatorial idea. By the way, Gaffurio himself
composed a Missa De tous biens plaine (Li-brone 2, fols 8493):
thus, curiously enough, the two known cases of reusing of chanson
materials in Gaffurios oeuvre regard the two chansons combined by
Josquin in his Victimae paschali laudes.
But of more interest, from the point of view of this paper, is
Tu solus qui facis mirabilia.39 This motet has been associated with
the Mi-lanese motetti missales style: as a matter of fact, its
first part stands loco Benedictus in Petruccis edition of the Missa
Dung aultre amer. It is in the second part, however, that the
musical as well as textual quotation from Ockeghems chanson is
embedded.40 The reference is clearly and explicitly integrated
within the text of the motet, possibly alluding to the
contraposition of secular and sacred love:
Dung aultre amerNobis esset fallatia;Dung aultre amerMagna esset
stulticia et peccatum.
At first sight, the quotations from Ockeghem in Josquin and in
Gaffurio seem unrelated, arranged as they are in different
polyphon-ic structures. A closer view, though, reveals a
coincidence: if Gaffurio exchanges the chanson discantus and tenor
in his opening, while Josquin maintains their original positions,
the two composers share the idea of combining the second melodic
cell of the tenor with the subsequent discantus phrase in a
cadential construction that reach-es the finalis g (at bar 6 in
Gaffurio, in four voices; at bar 7 in Josquin).
Considering the technical and liturgical correspondences41 on
the one hand, and the rarity of chanson quotations in the
Milanese
Motets.indb 403 29/02/12 08:10
-
text, form, and style 404
69
S.
A.
T.
B.
Dung
aul
tre a
- mer,
-
No
bis
- es
set
- fal
la
- ti
- -
a
No
bis
- es
set
- - fal
la
- ti
- -
a
Dung
aul
tre a
- mer,
-
76
dung aul
tre a
- mer
-
ma
gna
- es
set
- stul
ti
- ci
- -
ma
gna
- es
set
- - stul
ti
- ci
- -
dung aul
tre a
- mer
-
82
et
pec
ca
-
- -
tum.
a
et
pec
-
ca -
tum.
a
et
pec
-
ca -
tum.
et pec
-
ca -
tum.
Example 10. Josquin, Tu solus qui facis mirabilia, secunda pars,
bars 6985 (from NJE, xxii.2, ed. Bonnie J. Blackburn)
Motets.indb 404 29/02/12 08:10
-
daniele v. filippi 405
Discantus
Tenor
Superius
Tenor
Cantus
Altus
Tenor
Bassus
Ockeghem
Gaffurio
#
Josquin
#
Exam
ple
11. G
affu
rio
and
Josq
uin
quot
ing
Ock
eghe
m (
redu
ctio
n)
Motets.indb 405 29/02/12 08:10
-
42. Very few cases are known at the moment in Milanese motets:
Fin-scher, Loyset Compre, p. 107, n. 40, traces back the first
phrases of the unifying melody in Compres cycle Ave Domine to the
tenor of the chanson Je ne demande by Busnois, while C. A.
Reynolds, The Coun-terpoint of Allusion in Fifteenth-century
Masses, JAMS, 45 (1992), pp. 22860, at p. 247, recalls the
quo-tation of Jay pris amours (attributed to Caron) in the
contratenor of Jos-quins Christe, Fili Dei, already noted by
Taruskin (Christe, Fili Dei being the seventh part of Vultum tuum
dep-recabuntur, the motet-cycle that resembles the Milanese motetti
mis-sales more than any other Josquin-ian composition, as pointed
out by Finscher, Four-Voice Motets).
43. During the discussion of this paper, Jeffrey Dean kindly
suggested that the alluded text could have functioned as a link
between the preceding Song of Songs texts (Hortus conclusus,
Descendi in hortum, Tota pulchra) and the eucha-ristic subject
shared by Quando venit ergo and the following O sacrum con-vivium,
in the possible substitution cycle already mentioned above.
44. Finscher, Four-Voice Motets, pp. 2567.
45. Franchinus Gafurius, Angelicum ac divinum opus musicae,
facs. edi-tion (Antiquae musicae Itali-cae scriptores: libri
fototypice expressi, 1; Bologna, 1971).
repertoire42 on the other, the citation in Quando venit ergo,
not easily explainable from a symbolic or semantic point of view,43
could be regarded as the result of an intertextual dialogue between
Gaffurio and Josquin.
In his contribution on the four-voice motets in the Josquin
Compan-ion, Ludwig Finscher defined Josquins attitude toward the
Milanese style as a systematic attempt at emulation combined with
elements of direct intertextuality.44 This applies primarily to
earlier Milanese compositions like the motetti missales cycle Missa
Galeazescha by Com-pre, while it seems less probable at first sight
that Gaffurios works of the mid- and late 1480s could have
influenced Josquin. However, as already mentioned above (see note
37), the direction of the influ-ence between Josquins Missa Dung
aultre amer and some masses by Gaffurio, like the Missa de Carneval
and Missa brevis et expedita, cannot be easily ascertained. The
always in-progress reconsideration of Jos-quins attributed oeuvre
and biography (in particular about his rela-tions with Milan)
prevents the drawing of firm conclusions. What is sure is that the
two men knew each other; see in particular the famous passage in
Gaffurios Angelicum ac divinum opus musice of 1508 (Tractatus
quintus, Capitolo Sexto), on the proportio sesquialtera and the
problems connected to its notation:
De questi inconvenienti ne advertite gi molti anni passati
Iusquin despriet & Gaspar [van Weerbeke] dignissimi
compositori: qui quan-quam acquieverunt sententie nostre tamen ab
assueta eorum corrup-tela difficile diverti potuerunt.45
Thus, we are perhaps skating on thin ice, given the potentially
fa-tal interaction of uncertain datings and attributions, but the
fasci-nating picture of Josquin, Gaffurio and other Milan-based
compos-ers exchanging opinions on notational and theoretical
matters could indeed have a correspondence in the field of musica
practica.
The investigation of Gaffurios compositional output through the
analysis of his four-voice motets in the Librone 1 della Veneranda
Fabbrica undertaken in this paper has shownI hopethat the Ital-ian
master developed a personal style deserving further exploration.
Particularly intriguing are aspects of his technique concerning
mo-tivic invention, phraseology, text expression, and form. In
general, his original way of dealing with the main stylistic
problems of the time still awaits a comprehensive study. Moreover,
some characteris-tics of his compositional thought as sketched
above (e.g. the concern for formal proportions) should be put in
relation to his theoretical contributions. On a broader level, the
Milanese repertoire as a whole can surely be said to deserve new
detailed analysis. Beyond its histori-cal significanceusually
acknowledged by scholarsthis repertoire needs to be reconsidered
from a technical and gattungsgeschichtlich
text, form, and style 406
Motets.indb 406 29/02/12 08:10
-
daniele v. filippi 407
point of view. And the web of intertextual relationships
emerging from close analysis may indeed reveal surprising and
exciting new details concerning the interaction among the composers
involved.
Motets.indb 407 29/02/12 08:10
-
text, form, and style 408
Filippi - Appendix - Quando venit ergo
C b J h ll h Quan
do
- - - - ve
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Cb J i iContratenor acutus
i i
Quan
do
- ve
nit
- er
go
- -
er
- - - - - -
Cb J gTenor
h h
Quan
do
- - - - - - ve
nit
- - er
go
- - - -
Fb JContratenor gravis
h h Quan
do
- - - - - - - ve
- - - - - - - - - -6 9
nit
-
er
go
- sa
- - cri
ple
ni
- tu
- do
- tem
po
- - - -
- - - - - - go
sa
- - - - cri
ple
ni
- tu
- do
- tem
- - po
-
ple
ni
- tu
-
do
- - - -
tem
po
- ris,
-
nit
- er
go
- - - - -
sa
cri
- ple
ni
- tu
-
do
- - tem
po
- -
13
ris,
-
mis
sus
- est
ab
ar
ce
- Pa
tris
- na
tus
- or
bis- con
di- tor,
-
ris,
- mis
sus
- eat
ab
ar
ce
- Pa
tris
- na
tus
- or
bis- con
di
- tor,
- at
que
- ven
tre
- vir
gi
- na
- li
-
mis
sus
- est
ab
ar
ce
- Pa
tris
- - na
tus
- or
bis
- con
di
- tor,
-
at
que
- ven
tre
-
ris,
- mis
sus
- est
ab
ar
ce
- Pa
tris
- na
tus
- or
bis
- con
di
- tor,
- at
que
- ven
tre
- vir
gi
- na
-
- - -
21
ca
ro
- - - - - - fa
ctus
- pro
di
- - - - - - - - - it.
-
ca
ro
- - -
fa
ctus
- pro
- - - di
it.
-
vir
gi
-
na
- - li
- ca
ro
-
fa
ctus
- pro
- - - - di
it.
-
li
- - - - - ca
ro
- - -
fa
ctus
- pro
- - di
it.
-
28
A
O R
II [ AVE CORPUS JESU CHRISTI ]
ve
- Cor
pus
- Je
su
- Chri
sti
- qui
de
cae
lo
- de
scen
- di
-
-
A
O R
ve
- Cor
pus
- Je
su
- Chri
sti
- qui
de
cae
lo
-
de
-
A
O R
ve
- Cor
pus
- Je
su
- Chri
sti
-
qui
de
cae
lo
-
A
O R
ve
- Cor
pus
- Je
su
- Chri
sti
- qui
de
cae
lo
-
Appendix Gaffurio, Quando venit ergo
Motets.indb 408 29/02/12 08:10
-
daniele v. filippi 409
39
sti.
- - - - - - A
ve
- Ver
bum
- in
car
- na
- tum
-
scen
-
- - di
sti.
- A
ve
- Ver
bum
- in
car
- na
- tum
-
de
scen
- di
- sti.
- A
ve
- Ver
bum
- in
car
- na
- tum
-
de
scen
- di
- sti.
- A
ve
- Ver
bum
- in
car
- na
- tum
-
49
in
al
ta
- ri
- con
se
- cra
-
tum.
- - - - Chri
sti
- San
guis
- a
ve,
-
in
al
ta
- ri
- con
- - - se
cra
- tum.
- Chri
sti
- San
guis
- a
ve,
-
in
al
ta
- ri
- con
se
- cra
-
tum.
- - - Chri
sti
- San
guis
- a
ve,
-
in
al
ta
- ri
- con
se
- cra
-
tum.
- - - Chri
sti
- San
guis
- a
ve,
-
60
cae
li
- san
ctis
- si
- me
- po
- - tus.
a
mor
- et
san
ctis
- si
- me
-
po
tus.
- Je
su,
- nos
stra
-
re
dem
-
pti
- o,
-
cae
li
- san
ctis
- si
- me
- po
- - tus.
a
mor
- et
cae
li
- san
ctis
- si
- me
- po
tus.
- - - Je
su,
- no
stra
- re
- dem
pti
- o,
-
69
de
si
- de
-
ri
- - um,
-
ho
mo
- in
fi
ne
- tem
De
us
- cre
a
- tor
- o
mni
- - - um,
- ho
- mo
in
fi
-
de
si
- de
-
ri
- - um,
-
ho
mo
- in
fi
- -
De
us
- cre
a
- tor
- o
mni
- - um,
- ho
mo
-
in
77
po
- - - - - - - - rum.
-
ne
- - - tem
po
- - - rum.
-
ne
- - - tem
po
- - rum.
-
fi
ne
- tem
po
- - rum.
-
Filippi - Appendix - Quando venit ergo
C b J h ll h Quan
do
- - - - ve
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Cb J i iContratenor acutus
i i
Quan
do
- ve
nit
- er
go
- -
er
- - - - - -
Cb J gTenor
h h
Quan
do
- - - - - - ve
nit
- - er
go
- - - -
Fb JContratenor gravis
h h Quan
do
- - - - - - - ve
- - - - - - - - - -6 9
nit
-
er
go
- sa
- - cri
ple
ni
- tu
- do
- tem
po
- - - -
- - - - - - go
sa
- - - - cri
ple
ni
- tu
- do
- tem
- - po
-
ple
ni
- tu
-
do
- - - -
tem
po
- ris,
-
nit
- er
go
- - - - -
sa
cri
- ple
ni
- tu
-
do
- - tem
po
- -
13
ris,
-
mis
sus
- est
ab
ar
ce
- Pa
tris
- na
tus
- or
bis- con
di- tor,
-
ris,
- mis
sus
- eat
ab
ar
ce
- Pa
tris
- na
tus
- or
bis- con
di
- tor,
- at
que
- ven
tre
- vir
gi
- na
- li
-
mis
sus
- est
ab
ar
ce
- Pa
tris
- - na
tus
- or
bis
- con
di
- tor,
-
at
que
- ven
tre
-
ris,
- mis
sus
- est
ab
ar
ce
- Pa
tris
- na
tus
- or
bis
- con
di
- tor,
- at
que
- ven
tre
- vir
gi
- na
-
- - -
21
ca
ro
- - - - - - fa
ctus
- pro
di
- - - - - - - - - it.
-
ca
ro
- - -
fa
ctus
- pro
- - - di
it.
-
vir
gi
-
na
- - li
- ca
ro
-
fa
ctus
- pro
- - - - di
it.
-
li
- - - - - ca
ro
- - -
fa
ctus
- pro
- - di
it.
-
28
A
O R
II [ AVE CORPUS JESU CHRISTI ]
ve
- Cor
pus
- Je
su
- Chri
sti
- qui
de
cae
lo
- de
scen
- di
-
-
A
O R
ve
- Cor
pus
- Je
su
- Chri
sti
- qui
de
cae
lo
-
de
-
A
O R
ve
- Cor
pus
- Je
su
- Chri
sti
-
qui
de
cae
lo
-
A
O R
ve
- Cor
pus
- Je
su
- Chri
sti
- qui
de
cae
lo
-
Motets.indb 409 29/02/12 08:10
-
text, form, and style 410
39
sti.
- - - - - - A
ve
- Ver
bum
- in
car
- na
- tum
-
scen
-
- - di
sti.
- A
ve
- Ver
bum
- in
car
- na
- tum
-
de
scen
- di
- sti.
- A
ve
- Ver
bum
- in
car
- na
- tum
-
de
scen
- di
- sti.
- A
ve
- Ver
bum
- in
car
- na
- tum
-
49
in
al
ta
- ri
- con
se
- cra
-
tum.
- - - - Chri
sti
- San
guis
- a
ve,
-
in
al
ta
- ri
- con
- - - se
cra
- tum.
- Chri
sti
- San
guis
- a
ve,
-
in
al
ta
- ri
- con
se
- cra
-
tum.
- - - Chri
sti
- San
guis
- a
ve,
-
in
al
ta
- ri
- con
se
- cra
-
tum.
- - - Chri
sti
- San
guis
- a
ve,
-
60
cae
li
- san
ctis
- si
- me
- po
- - tus.
a
mor
- et
san
ctis
- si
- me
-
po
tus.
- Je
su,
- nos
stra
-
re
dem
-
pti
- o,
-
cae
li
- san
ctis
- si
- me
- po
- - tus.
a
mor
- et
cae
li
- san
ctis
- si
- me
- po
tus.
- - - Je
su,
- no
stra
- re
- dem
pti
- o,
-
69
de
si
- de
-
ri
- - um,
-
ho
mo
- in
fi
ne
- tem
De
us
- cre
a
- tor
- o
mni
- - - um,
- ho
- mo
in
fi
-
de
si
- de
-
ri
- - um,
-
ho
mo
- in
fi
- -
De
us
- cre
a
- tor
- o
mni
- - um,
- ho
mo
-
in
77
po
- - - - - - - - rum.
-
ne
- - - tem
po
- - - rum.
-
ne
- - - tem
po
- - rum.
-
fi
ne
- tem
po
- - rum.
-
Motets.indb 410 29/02/12 08:10
