The Notes Must Do as He Wills:

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The Notes Must Do as He Wills Josquin Music
of the High Renaissance
Please Take Handout Sit in First 5 Rows By
Voice Type
Door
Front
Soprano
Alto
Bass
Tenor
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Josquin des Prez, Ave Maria
3
da Vinci
Michaelangelo
Josquin des Prez
Galileo
4
The notes must do as he wills . . . as for other
composers, they must do as the notes wish.
Martin Luther
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• Twin goals
• Understand why Josquin was
• (and is) so admired.
• 2. Use Josquins music to understand the musical
  language of the mid-Renaissance

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• Josquin des Prez (Lebloitte)

• Josquins Biography(ca. 1455-1521)

1. Born in North ca. 1455//Service in Italy by
1480s
2. Flourishes ca. 1500, as music print culture
flourishes
3. Confluence migrationtechnology forges
musical language of the High Renaissance
B. Musical Implications of Renaissance
Biography
1. Northern Traits (Old-Fashioned)
Solve technical problem how to write complex
polyphony while controlling dissonance
Intellectual
2. Italian Traits (More Modern)
Memorable melody/full, consonant harmony
music mirrors verbal text sound, images, meaning
Humanistic
3. North/South synthesis spread via music printing
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• Musical Style of the Josquin Generation- or
  High Renaissance
• (ca. 1500-1550)

A. Point of Imitation
1. Defined
Section of Renaissance work phrase
Based on short verbal text
That text set to musical motive
Motive presented successively (in imitation) by
2 or more voices
2. Musical results of P.O.I.
Musical unity
Control dissonance more easily
Word-music fit easier
Interlocking (overlapping) points creates
seamless flow
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• Musical Style of the Josquin Generation
• Mid- or High Renaissance (ca. 1500-1550)

A. Point of Imitation

• Block Homophonic Texture
• O Mater Dei, memento mei. Amen
• O Mother of God, be mindful of me. Amen.

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Triple meter 4 short phrases one for each line
of poetry Block Homophonic Texture ?????
Hail true virginity, Immaculate chastity, Whose
purification Was to be our purgation.
1 Ave vera virginitas, 2 Immaculata castitas, 3
Cujus purificatio 4 Nostra fuit purgatio.
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• Musical Style of the Josquin Generation
• Mid- or High Renaissance (ca. 1500-1550)

A. Point of Imitation
B. Canon and Strict Imitation
B. ??????

• Josquin was master of imitative compositon

C. Cantus firmus technique

• Composition incorporates pre-existing melody

• Borrowed melody usually secular

• Now found in tenor (inner) voice

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The man, the armed man should be
feared! Everywhere it is proclaimed that each man
should arm himself with a coat of iron
mail.
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each man should arm himself with a coat of iron
mail
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• Musical Style of the Josquin Generation
• Mid- or High Renaissance (ca. 1500-1550)

A. Point of Imitation
B. Canon and Strict Imitation

• Josquin was master of imitative compositon

C. Cantus firmus technique

• Composition incorporates pre-existing melody

• This borrowed melody usually secular

• Now found in tenor (inner) voice

D. Sogetto cavatto
lit. subject carved from the words
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Sogetto cavatto
Ren. Scale Ut, re, mi, fa, so, la
Her- cu- les Dux Fer- ra- ri- ae
Re ut re ut re fa mi re
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Josqin Petite camusette Robin and Marian
entered a beautiful wood. Arm in arm, they went,
and fell asleep.
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Josquin Absalom, fili mi
Non vivam ultra, sed descendam in infernum
plorans (2x)
I shall live no longer, but descend into Hell,
weeping.
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Josquin des Prez
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(No Transcript)