Renaissance Music

Chinayo, Zhaira Florendo, Martina Rivera, Cariza Calera, Frances IV- WAVE

General Information

Title: Missa Papae Marcelli Composer: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Number of voices: 6vv Voicings: SATTBB or ATBBBB Genre: Sacred, Mass Language: Latin Instruments: a cappella Published: Gazzetta musicale di Milano (1847)

Missa Papae Marcelli also called as Pope Marcellus Mass. It is composed by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina in honor Pope Marcellus II who reigned for three weeks in 1955.
It is a Latin music being sung in church, therefore making it a sacred music

Introduction

The Missa Papae Marcelli consists, like most Renaissance masses, of a Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus/Benedictus and Agnus Dei, though the second part of the Agnus Dei is a separate movement
The mass is freely composed, not based upon a parody. Perhaps because of this, the mass is not as thematically consistent as Palestrina's masses based on models.

 The

song is still used today though some words were omitted. Nowadays, it is what we call the Nincene Crede

Musical Aspect

The Nincene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Missa Papae Marcelli does not make use of any preexisting theme. The motif of a rising perfect fourth and stepwise return is used extensively throughout this mass. It is similar in profile to the opening of the French secular song "L'homme arm", which provided the theme for many Renaissance masses.

Analysis

7 movements/ Sections
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Kyrie Gloria Credo Sanctus- Hosanna Benedictus Agnus Dei I Agnus Dei II

The Kyrie
consists of imitative polyphony in Palestrina's earlier style. Based on the main motif. It is in the middle movements that Palestrina applies the simpler style needed after the Council of Trent.

Gloria
is part of the Ordinary of the Mass. At present it immediately follows the acclamations Kyrie eleison at the beginning of Mass. Also known as the "Greater Doxology" or the "Angelic Hymn".

By the 4th century the Greek original was being used at morning prayer; in the west it is sung at Mass on Sundays and on certain feasts.

Credo
Richard Taruskin describes the Credo as A strategically planned series of cadential 'cells' ... each expressed through a fragment of text declaimed homorhythmically by a portion of the choir ... and rounded off by a beautifully crafted cadence". The words are clearly distinguishable, since melodic decoration is confined to the longest syllables. A different selection of voices is used for each such phrase.

The Sanctus
Begins with very short phrases cadencing on C. Longer phrases then cadence on F, D and G before the music returns to C with conclusive effect. This was a new technique, using "tonal planning" to replace imitation as the means to keep the music moving forward

Benedictus
Second part of the Sanctus of the mass. (Source: Matthew 21: 9)

The Agnus Dei

returns to the imitative polyphony of the Kyrie (the opening of Agnus Dei I repeats that of the Kyrie).

Palestrina adds an extra voice in Agnus Dei II, making seven for this movement, in which is embedded a three-part canon that begins with the head-motive