Renaissance Mass Josquin to Palestrina Ita, Missa est... and Listen Who could retain a grievance against the man with whom he had joined in singing before God? ‘St, Ambrose (c, 339-397) Next to the madrigal and chanson, the most important musical genre during the Renaissance was the polyphonic musical setting of the Catholic Mass. Musical settings of the Mass span over 800 years of European history, and have inspired some of the greatest music ever written, The word "Mass" means "missa” and comes from the priest's final words said at the closing of the service, “Ite, missa est” (Go, you are sent forth), 2 command that dismisses the congregation from the service. Parts of the Mass ‘The Mass, the principal daily service of the Catholic Church, has two main types: 4. the Ordinary Mass consists of a fixed order of chants and prayers said every day, Most Renaissance church music is composed for the Ordinary Mass. 2, the Proper Mass consists of chants and prayers that vary from day to day throughout the Church year according to the particular liturgical occasion, Roll your mouse over the various sections of the Mass. Ordinary Mass Proper Mass Ita, missa est Only five parts of the Ordinary Mass -- Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei -- were set to music by Renaissance composers. By 1450 the Ite Missa est, which Is the dismissal from the Mass, spoken or sung by the priest at the very end of the service, was removed from the list, From a composer's perspective, setting music to the five sections of the Ordinary Mass, and not the Proper Mass, was more practical because the sections of Ordinary Mass were sung every day, whereas sections of the Proper Mass were sung only once a year, As a composer, what would you rather do? Spend days or weeks composing and rehearsing music that would be sung only once in a Proper Mass during Lent? Or would you want get more mileage from your music and have it sung everyday in the Ordinary Mass? Music of the Ordinary Mass‘The Ordinary Mass was to the Renaissance composer what the symphony was to the 18th-century composer, what the opera was to the 19th-century composer: the ultimate test of a composer's musical skills and creativity. The five sections of the Ordinary Mass are of very different lengths and came at widely separated times during the service. The greatest formal challenge was to create musical continuity among all of the different sections. One solution was to repeat the same plainchant (cantus firmus) in all five sections. The good Mass composers were subtle in doing this, The cantus firmus is nat Fepeated exactly note-for-note in every section, but sung as fragments in long, sustained notes in the tenor voice, The five sections of the Ordinary Mass are Marked in red text; the other sections of the Proper Mass are included for comparison purposes. Go ahead and play a little bit of each section of the Mass below. NOTE: you might want to memorize this list of five sections (marked in blue text) of the Ordinary Mass as they will appear on the next unit exam. Section Latin Text Translation intro | Reauiem aetemam dona eis Domine: et lx perpetua | Grant them etemal est, © Lord:and let perpetual ight shine eis, upon them. Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy, (1) Kyrie | Christe eteison, Christ, have mercy, Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy. Gloria in excélsis Deo Glory in the heights to God) Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis, ‘And on earth peace to men of good wil, Laudémus te, Benedicimus te. We praise You. We bless You. Adorémus te. Glontficémus te We adore You. We glority You. (2) Gloria Gratias agimustibi propter magnam glériam tuam, We give You thanks for Your great Glory Démine Deus, Rex caolésts, Deus Pater omnipotens. | Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father almighty. Démine Fil unigénite, Jesu Christe. Lord the only-begotten Son, Jesus Chris. Démine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patri. Lord God, Lamb of God, Son ofthe Father. Gradual | Sambulem in medio umbrae mors, non timebo mala: | if walkin the shadow of death, | will fear no i: for you are uoniam tu mecum es, Domine, with me, O, Lord ‘Alleluia Hallelujah ‘Alleluia _ | Vidimus stellam ejus in Oriente et venimus cum We have seen his starin the east and are come with gifts to ul ‘muneribus adorare Dominum, worship the Lord. Alletuia Hallelujah Credo in unum Deum, Pairem omnipoténtem, factorem | We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty Maker of (9) Credo | czaiet torn, visibfium émnium et ivisiium, heaven and earth, of all rat is seen and unseen Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae, ibera animas Lord Jesus Christ, king of glory, deliver the soulds ofall the| ‘omnium fidelium defunctorum de poenis infer et de | faithful departed from the pains of Hell and the bottomless oer profundo lacu. Libera eas de ore leonis ne absorbeat | pit Deliver them from the jaws of the lon, lest hell engulf fetory | eas tartarus, ne cadant in obscurum; Sed signifer them, lest they be plunged into darkness; but let the holy sanctus Michael repraesentet eas inlucem sanctam, _| standard-bearer Michael lead them into the holy light, a8 ‘Quam olim Abrahae promisist et semini elus. fonce you promised to Abraham and to his seed. ‘Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Holy, holy, haly Dominus Deus Sabzoth! Lord, God of hosts! (4) Sanctus Peni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua, Heaven and earth are full of your glory Hosanna in excelsis! Hosanna in the highest! ‘Agnus Dei, qui tolis pecatta mund! (© Lamb of God, that takest away the sins ofthe worl, dona eis requiem Grant them rest (8) Agnus Dei Agnus Dei, qui talis peccata mundi © Lamb of God, that takest away the sins ofthe worl, dona eis roquiom sempiterrame. Grant them etemal rest ‘Communion | Lux aetema luceat els, Domine, ‘Let everlasting ight shine upon them, Lord, (Lux Eatema)_| cum sanctistuis in aeternum, with Thy saints for ever,quia pius es. for Thou art merci Requiem aetemam dona 's Domine, Grant them otemal rest, Lord, etlux perpetva luceat eis, {and let perpetual ight shine upon them, quia pius es. for Thou art mere ta, missa est_[ Ka, missa est Go, you are sent forth Two Types of Ordinary Masses ‘The history and development of Masses of the Roman Catholic Church is very complex, requiring understanding greater knowledge of musical theory and Catholic theology than Is covered in Music 105. Nevertheless, we can examine two types of Ordinary Masses composed during the Renaissance, with each type based on a different kind of cantus firmus to unify the five sections, The first type of Ordinary Mass is called the Cantus Firmus Mass, and the second type of Mass is called the Paraphrase Mass. In each type of Mass, a single melody, usually a plainchant (or cantus firmus) underlies all five sections of the Ordinary Mass, providing a structural framework for each section. The cantus firmus melody is usually sung in long, slow moving notes in the tenor voice (from the Latin verb tenere, "to hold"). The names of these masses are drawn from the plainchants on which they are based 1. Cantus Firmus Mass ‘This is the oldest type of Mass dating back to early Medieval monophonic plainchants. In this type, the cantus firmus melody is heard in its original, archaic form, usually in the tenor voice of each of the five sections of the Mass. The cantus firmus Masses of the Renaissance developed from the medieval plainchants and organa (plural of organum). Machaut's Notre Dame Mass (1360) is 2 good example of a cantus firmus Mass, Kamien points outs that when you hear Machaut's Angus Del from this Mass, you hear medieval plainchant set to an elaborate style of polyphony, which was new to the early Renaissance. Cantus firmus Masses were also built upon popular secular songs == which later got the composers in trouble with the Council of Trent (more on this later). Cantus Firmus Derived from L'homme armé ‘The L’homme armé (“Armed Man") Mass composed in 1460 by Guillaume Du Fay uses a catchy, popular melody called The "Armed Man" as its cantus firmus. This Mass is sung by four separate voice parts (SATB) with several singers singing each voice part. Although sometimes obscured by the other voice parts, the "Armed Man" melody provides the structural framework for each section of the Mass and is usually sung in long notes by the tenor voice. The "Armed Man” melody is. divided into A-B-A (ternary) form, med Man” Cantus Firmus Melody hom me, Thom-me, homme ar - mé, Chommear-mé, Uhommear - médoibt on doub - ter, os 7S SS SS SS] L'homme armé doibt on doubter. The armed man is to be feared. On a fait partout crier, The cry has been raised all around Que chascun se viengne armer That everyone must arm himself D'un haubregon de fer. With an iron coat of mail U’homme armé doibt on doubter. The armed man must be feared. Kyrie based on L'homme armé Melody‘A good example of Du Fay's clever use of “The Armed Man" tune appears in the Kyrie section of the Mass. Du Fay divides nine invocations of Kyrie into three sections (ABA form) according to its text: Kyrie -- Christe -- Kyrie. He begins each section with a reduced number of voices, then add the tenor voice singing different parts of the "Armed Man" song as the Cantus firmus and filing out the harmonies. Play all three parts of the Kyrie to see if you can hear the "Armed Man" melody buried in the rich harmonies. The repeated A section below follows the ‘armed man” melody more closely than the first A section and B section. A Section Kyrie, eleison, Lord, have mercy upon us. ‘Three-voice opening in triple meter; Kyrie, eleison. Lord, have mercy upon us. Melismatic A section of L’homme armé Kyrie, eleison. Lord, have mercy upon us. melody enters in Tenor in slower notes. B Section Christe, eleison. Christ, have merey upon us. Two-voice opening in duple meter; B Christe, eleison. Christ, have mercy upon us. section of ‘homme armé melody enters Christe, eleison. Christ, have mercy upon us. in Tenor, then bass voice. ‘A Section Kyrie, eleison. Lord, have mercy upon us. Three-voice opening in triple meter; Kyrie, eleison. Lord, have mercy upon us. Melismatic A section of L’homme armé Kyrie, eleison, Lord, have mercy upon us. melody enters in Tenor in faster notes. 2. Paraphrase Mass ‘A paraphrase restates an idea in other words or another way, so as to simplify or clarify its meaning for the reader. In a paraphrase mass, the cantus firmus from an older, traditional olainchant melody is modified to suit the tastes of Renaissance composers. Paraphrased versions of pre-existing plainchants added greater rhythmic and melodic variety, basically jazzing up the original tune. When a English 101 (or Music 115) student paraphrases a source in an essay, he or she must acknowledge the source by citing the author's name, In 2 similar but less formal gesture, Josquin, by naming his Mass "Ave Maris Stella,” acknowledges that his paraphrase Mass is based on the Ave Maris Stella plainchant hymn. Josquin's Paraphrase of Ave Maris Stella Josquin des Pre2 (aka “Josquin") was a prolific composer of Masses, including many paraphrase Masses. His Ave Maris Stella Mass is a good example of a paraphrase mass based on a plainchant, Ave Maris Stella, which was created in the early eighth century. Ave Maris Stella plainchant ‘To hear the difference between an original plainchant and a paraphrase of it, compare my piano renditions of the original Ave Maris Stella hymn with Josquin's version. ‘Original Plainchant Josquin's PARAPHRASE Josquin's paraphrase stretches out the length of some notes and shortens others, creating a stronger sense rhythm and melodic contour. How much of the original Ave Maris Stella plainchant can you recognize in Josquin’s Agnus Del section of the Mass? Josquin's “Agnus De rom Ave Maris Stella Mass In the first tenor voice, the ascending phrase of the Ave Maris Stella melody can be heard, but the melody Is soon obscured by the other voice parts, With paraphrase Masses, composers can have one foot in the past and one foot in the present, with the original plainchant being a point-of-departure for originality while retaining an association with the Church's traditional plainchant hymns.The Council of Trent Cracks Down on Paraphrase Masses During the Counter Reformation, masses whose cantus fermi were paraphrases of Gregorian chant were generally successful, whereas Masses based on secular (non-religious) tunes were open to censorship by the Catholic Church authorities. On October 30, 1517, the Catholic priest Martin Luther officially protested against what he thought were corruptions in the Catholic Church. Once his religious reforms spread throughout Europe, the Catholic hierarchy responded with a Counter-Reformation, culminating in the Council of Trent (1545-1563), which attempted to identify and purge all areas of the Catholic hierarchy of "secularizations, laxities, and abuses of doctrine” (Greenberg 1998). The Council also objected to excessive use of "noisy instruments" in the services, bad pronunciation of Church-trained singers, and "the careless and generally irreverent attitude of the singers” (Greenburg 1998) Council of Trent (1545-1563) [According to the Council of Trent's canon on music to be Jused in the Mass: All things should indeed be so ordered that the Masses, whether they be celebrated with or without signing, may reach tranquilly into the ears and hearts of those wha hear them, when everything is executed clearly and at the correct tempo. In the case of those Masses which are celebrated with singing and with organ, let nothing profane be intermingled, but only hymns and divine passes. The whole plan of singing should be constituted not to give empty pleasure to the ear, but in such a way that the| words be clearly understood by all, and the hearts of the listeners be drawn to desire of heavenly harmonies, and the contemplation of the joy of the blessed. They shall also banish from the Church all music that contains, whether in the singing or in the organ playing, things that are lascivious or impure. (Greenberg 1998) Just as Martin Luther's translation of the Latin Bible (the Vulgate) into the German language threatened the Church's authority over the teachings of the Bible, replacing traditional melodies of a Mass with secular melodies was seen as subversive of Church authority. Key elements of the Counter-Reformation are explained in great detail by James Burke in his video segment "Printing Transforms Knowledge" parts 1 and 2. (Please view the videos now if you haven't done so.) Source Cited: Greenberg, Robert. (1998). "The Ancient World Through the Early Baroque." How to Understand and Listen to Great Music. The Great Courses on Tape Course Guide, The Teaching Company, Edict 1: No Sunday Morning Praise Bands in Church In the style of 2 Cantus Firmus Mass, some paraphrase Masses used melodies and melodic fragments from popular songs or madrigals. Guillaume Du Fay's the L’homme armé ("Armed Man") Mass is 2 good example of this practice because it uses a catchy, popular melody called The “Armed Man” as its cantus firmus. (See web page 3 of this lesson.) In short, composers based the cantus firmus on "fashionable" music of the day. The benefit of using a popular tune in a Mass is the immediate accessibility and recognizability by the congregation; if the congregation knew the tune, more people could follow the music. NO: Contemporary Praise Band[To use a modern analogy in contemporary Christian churches, Sunday morning praise bands are to Jparaphrase Masses as traditional Presbyterian or Orthodox hymns are to cantus firmus Masses. The praise band in the video is loud, uses "noisy instruments," and exhibits extremely poor articulation of the lwords being sung. But it makes going to church more fun ‘YES: Greek Orthodox Man's Choir lin contrast, to the praise band above, the Greek Orthodox men's choir in the right video sing a traditional JGreek hymn that dates to the Middle Ages. The choir's performance is more conservative, complying with the edicts of the Council of Trent by singing a cappella and articulating the words more clearly, ‘To push this analogy: People (usually younger) like praise bands; others (typically older) are annoyed by them. Just as drums, guitars, and keyboards of a praise band are popular with many of today's church-goers, imitation Masses were very popular during'the early sixteenth century. But there is one big difference between now and then: The Catholic Counter- Reformation and the edicts of the Council of Trent. Edict 2: Polyphony Should NOT Obscure God ‘The Council also objected strongly to complicated polyphony that obscured the words of the text being sung. How could you praise God through dense, complex polyphony? God and polyphony were fast losing their compatibility in church, To hear an example of what the Council was complaining about, listen again to Josquin des Prez's Agnus Die ("An-yoos day") from his paraphrase Mass Ave Maris Stella, and see if you can follow the words and articulations with the melody. Can you follow the words? Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem, My guess is that you can follow the words just fine as each voice part enters in turn (one voice imitating the other), but once all of the voice parts sing simultaneously, overlapping each other in staggered formation, the words are obscured and almost impossible to hear clearly and unambiguously. As beautifully composed as Josquin's music is, such lack of vocal Clarity would not meet the standards set down by the Council of Trent. Palestrina Proves that God and Polyphony are Compatible Giovanni Peirluigi da Palestrina (c. 15251594) wrote 104 Masses, some which were cantus firmus Masses and paraphrase Masses, and 250 motets, Palestrina's style epitomized the sober, conservative spirit of the Counter-Reformation, making him the "Lone Ranger” of Roman Catholic church music. Because an increasing number of Masses were based on melodies ranging from sacred motets to popular songs, such as "The Armed Man" described on the previous page, hard-line reformers of the Council of Trent wanted polyphony, which often obscured textual clarity, banned in favor of monophonic plainsong, Respecting the edicts from the Counter-Reformation, Palestrina composed a six-part polyphonic Mass called the Pope Marcellus Mass, to prove that counterpoint IS compatible with the criteria for acceptable church music. Published in 1567, the Mass was dedicated to Pope Marcellus II (1501-1555), who reigned only three weeks in 1555. Palestrina's Mass apparently calmed the hard-liners, whose the final injunctions of the Council warned only against everything "impure or lascivious” in the music (Early Music 1995). The Pope Marcellus Mass a polyphonic masterpiece of Renaissance church music; it was such a big success in terms of vocal and harmonic clarity that his music became the model for generations of composers after him, well into the classical period "Kyrie" from Missa Papae Marcelli (1567) ‘The Pope Marcellus Mass contains six voice parts, with one soprano, one alto, two tenors, and two basses, with each part singing a separate melody line. As you listen to the "Kyrie" section, ‘see if you have an easier time of following the words and text.Six Voice Parts Soprano a oo Tenor | Tenor 2 a Bass | Bess? Words and Articulations Easier to Hear ‘Throughout the Kyrie, the number of voices singing at any one time change from a few voices to all six voices singing together. Even though Palestrina has six different voice parts, compared to Josquin’s four voice parts, the words and articulations in Palestrina's music are much easier to follow. Why Is this? + Despite the six-part polyphony, each new syllable heard in any given voice part Is heard by itself, without competing against words in other voice parts, For example, when the alto voice sings the three syllables "Kee - ree - yeah" no ‘other voice is singing a new syllabie of its own, but are sustaining a vowel from a previously sung syllable; the alto voice sings the consonants alone without distraction from consonants sung in the other voice parts, + Palestrina gives ample room to each voice part; every time a voice part utters a new word or important syllable, that voice will utter it alone. The resulting effect is that the music is transparent; the words "pop out” of the polyphonic texture clearly, This is unlike the handling of polyphony in Josquin's music, where the voice parts sing different words simultaneously causing mismatches in syllables and consonants which obscure the articulations of important words. + Each melody line is very compact and move mostly In gentle conjunct (step-wise) mation, very singable and non- virtuosic; each melody is similar to plainchant in its melodic contour + Gentle flexibility and regularity of the rhythms, nat the more powerful pulse in Josquin’s music or the jerky-jerky rhythms of Machaut's music. So careful was Palestrina in avoiding unpleasant dissonances and preserving the clarity of the words amidst layers of polyphony, that composers and theorists ever since have studied his work and modeled their own exercises on his treatment of polyphony. Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, and many others spent their formative years studying polyphonic music in the style of Palestrina, Source cited: Alte Musik (performers). PALESTRINA: Missa Papae Marcelli/ ALLEGRT: Miserere. (1995). Farly Music. Naxos Music Library. Kyrie Performed by the Tallis Scholars ‘The Tallis Scholars is a British vocal ensemble consisting of 14 members, including the group's director, Peter Philips. The group specializes in a cappella vocal music written during the Renaissance by composers from all over Europe. The name "Tallis" is in homage to Thomas Tallis who was an English composer and a church musician, considered one of the foremost composers of Great Britain. To say the Tallis Scholars are “gooc” is @ huge understatement. Their vocal clarity, precise timing, and rich harmony reflect years of long practicing and professional singing experience. Each member could pursue 2 professional career as a Solo singer, but when combined as a choir the members’ voices blend perfectly. As you watch the singers, pay attention to the director's hand motions and facial expressions as he directs the choir. In the following video, the Tallis Scholars perform the Kyrie from Palestrina's Pope Marcellus Mass in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, Italy. Kyrie from Pope Marcellus Mass by Palestrina Review of Renaissance Mass Review Part 2 Get all ten questions of this listening quiz correct and you're almost home. Review Part 3