ARS PERFECTA:

Sacred Music in the

Late Renaissance
Palestrina, Lamentations
 I. Ars perfecta (The Perfect Art)

A. Ars perfecta = Catholic Sacred Music of the

Late Renaissance

B. Dates = ca. 1550 - 1600

C. Ars perfecta connotes esp. Josquin + sacred
music of late Renaissance composers:
•Lasso (Germany),
•Byrd (England),
•Victoria (Spain) and
•Palestrina (Italy)
 II. Renaissance in Review:
Placing the Ars perfecta historically
 II. Renaissance in Review: Placing the Ars Perfecta
historically

A. Chronology:
Early Ren 1. Dufay Binchois 1425-75

2. Ockeghem, Busnois and Contemporaries 1450-1500

High 3. Josquin and Contemporaries 1480-1520

4. Arcadelt, Gombert, Willaert 1500-60

Late ARS PERFECTA 1550-1600

5. Palestrina, Lasso, Victoria, Byrd
Stable Features? Changing Features?
1.Performing Forces?
2.Texture?
3.Tempo (Fast – Slow – Moderate)?
4.Tempo (Steady Pulses or Fluctuating)?
5.Number of Different Voices?
6.Amount of Dissonance?
7.Amount of Imitation?
8.Phrases clearly set off or “Run on”?
 II. Renaissance in Review: Placing the Ars Perfecta
historically

A. Chronology:
Early Ren 1. Dufay Binchois 1425-75

2. Ockeghem, Busnois and Contemporaries 1450-1500

High 3. Josquin and Contemporaries 1480-1520

4. Arcadelt, Gombert, Willaert 1500-60

Late ARS PERFECTA 1550-1600

5. Palestrina, Lasso, Victoria, Byrd
Stable Features? Changing Features?
III. Placing the Ars Perfecta Musically

1. Stable Traits from Early to Late

•preferred performance style, a cappella
•preferred texture: polyphony; some homophonic texture
•seamless, no sharp breaks, starts or stops, or silence
•tempo moderate and steady pulse

2. Changing Traits
•increasing preference for more voices (fuller textures)
•increasing use of imitation
•increasing control of dissonance

3. Imitative polyphony in many voices +

careful control of dissonances= A “Perfect Art”
IV. Sacred Music and Catholic Liturgy
Sanctus from the Mass, Eternal Gifts of Christ by Palestrina

A. Mass vs. Offices (Hours)

B. Proper of the Mass vs. Ordinary of the Mass (see Wright, p. 79)

C. The Texts of the Ordinary

Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei
*Ite missa est (rarely set as polyphony)
D. Masses often take titles from borrowed music:
cantus firmus, paraphrase, parody (a.k.a. imitation Mass)
V. Palestrina and the Counter-Reformation

A. Council of Trent, 1545 - 1563

B. Controversies Surrounding Music

•Lack of standardization

•Use of profane melodies in cantus firmus compositions

•Complicated imitative polyphony renders sacred

words unintelligible

C. Palestrina and the Myth of the Pope Marcellus Mass

No problemo!
 Palestrina, Pope Marcellus Mass, Gloria

Et in terra pax hominibus,

bonae voluntatis,

Laudamus te,
benedicimus te,
adoramus te,
glorificamus te

Gratias agimus tibi,

propter magnum gloriam tuam . . .
Palestrina, Pope Marcellus Mass:
Agnus Dei
VII. A Perfect Art: The Musical Style of Palestrina
and the Late Renaissance

A. Melody

B. Harmony

C. Dissonance
 Suspension:
1. Preceded by Consonance (Cons)
2. I voice “hangs onto” its note while other voice moves(Diss)
3. Suspended note “catches up” resolves down by step (Cons)
V. A Perfect Art: The Musical Style of Palestrina
and the Late Renaissance

A. Melody

B. Harmony

C. Dissonance Treatment

D. Texture

E. Pulse or Beat
Wright Textbook, p. 100:

Even today, courses for advanced music students

include practice in composing in the pure contrapuntally
correct style of Palestrina. Thus, the spirit of the
Counter-Reformation continued to influence
musicians long after the Renaissance had come to an end.