Jiří Sehnal Palacký University,

Adam Michna A Czech Composer at the Crossroad of Styles

In the second third of the 17th century Czech music had just one outstanding com- poser: Adam Michna z Otradovic (1600-1676). Much has been written about him and his work, but numerous questions remain open.1 The composer was educated in Jesuit schools and all his life kept close contact with this order, which evidently supported him. Michna lived in Jindřichův Hradec, a town in South , where he held the post of organist at the parish church from 1628. Unlike other organists of the time, he was well off, thanks to an inn he possessed, and thanks to two marriages. We assume that he visited , České Budějovice and . But it is not possible to find any mention of whether or not he also visited Italy, which would have been decisive for his creative work. Michna was not only a composer but moreover a gifted poet, who wrote the lyrics for his Czech songs. In the history of Czech literature he is ranked among the best Czech poets of the Baroque.2 Very little information exists concerning music in the territories of the Bohemian crown in the 17th century. Until 1627 the non-Catholic confessions predominated there: Bohemian Utraquists, German and Czech Lutherans, as well as the Jednota bratrská (Bohemian Brethren). It appears that music in the old style was cultivated mainly by the non-Catholics. The Netherlands who were active at the court of Rudolf II left a deep mark in Bohemia. In 1621 the composer Kryštof Harant of Polžice died on the scaffold in Prague. It is believed that he was a pupil of Alexander Utendal. Harant was the most prominent Czech represent- ative of the Netherland’s style. On the whole, it seems that for a long time music in Bohemia was notable for its conservative tendencies. This could also apply to some Catholic circles, as for example the Piarists in , who still in 1633 ordered Palestrina’s masses from . Other sources, as for example the music inventory of the Týn-church in Prague from 1644, and a collection of pieces of music in the possession of the royal judge in Uherské Hradiště from 1632, testify to the prevalence of the old style. An anthology from 1612 with Italian monodies, in the possession of the imperial councilor Franz Godefridus Troilus de Lessoth, is an exception in the aristocratic milieu.3

1 Jiří Sehnal, Adam Michna z Otradovic - skladatel [Adam Michna from Otradovice - the composer], Olomouc, Univerzita Palackého, Filozofická Fakulta, 2012. 2 Adam Michna z Otradovic, Das dichterische Werk, ed. Antonín Škarka, München, Fink, 1968. 3 Emilián Trolda, Česká církevní hudba v období generálbasovém [Czech church music in the epoch of the thorough-bass], «Cyril», lx/5-6, 1934, pp. 49-52, 75; Jan Baťa, Inventář hudebnin Daniela Ignatia Mrázka kantora u Matky Boží před Týnem [The music inventory of Daniel Ignatius Mrázek, cantor at the Týn-church], «Opus musicum», xxxv/3, 2003, pp. 10-12; Jan Racek, Italská monodie z doby raného baroku v Čechách [Italian monody in the early Baroque in Bohemia], Olomouc, Vyšehrad, 1945; Jiří Sehnal, Hudební zájmy

– 397 – Jiří Sehnal

The Italian style of musica moderna first took root in Catholic circles that had direct contacts with Italy and were best informed about the musical trends. An important centre of Italian music was created in the 1620s at the court of the bishop of Olomouc cardinal Franz von Dietrichstein (1599-1636) in Mikulov in Southern , where a group of Italian musicians – Claudio Abbate, Giovanni Battista Cocchi, and Giovanni Battista Alouisi (Aloisi)4 was active. Whereas Abbate and Cocchi only spent a short time in Mikulov, the Minorite Alouisi remained in Moravia from 1635 until his death in 1665. He was thus Adam Michna’s contemporary and his antipode. Alouisi can be located first in 1628 in Prague, where he, as an alumnus of Saint Bonaventura College,5 dedicated his opus 3, Harmonicum coelum (Venice, 1628), to the archbishop of Prague, cardinal Ernst Adalbert von Harrach (1626-1667). On the title page of this work he is called prefect of music at the chapel, so it can be assumed that his compositions were performed in Prague churches. Before 1636, he emerged suddenly as theologus, secretarius nec non musicae praefectus at the court of the bishop of Olomouc, Cardinal Franz von Dietrichstein in Mikulov.6 After the cardinal’s death, Alouisi rendered his services as the Italian secretary to the cardinal’s nephew, prince Maximilian von Dietrichstein (1636-1655), and finally in the same function to his son, prince Ferdinand von Dietrichstein. Alouisi himself lived in the small village Dolní Věstonice near Mikulov where he was a parish priest. It seems that after 1640 he completely resigned from his activity as a composer and provided only for the pastoral care of his parish.7 Weak and ill, he moved to the Minorite cloister in at the end of 1664, where he died as guardianus8 on March 20, 1665. All the works composed by Alouisi in Prague and in Mikulov appeared in print in Venice. Alouisi commanded not only of the old style but likewise the new concertato style that demanded high technical skills from its interpreters. We do not know whether Alouisi had a chance to hear his own works in Moravia. The best conditions for this could be found in the Loreto chapel of the Capuchin monastery in Mikulov where the cardinal had already in 1630 established an ensemble of nine chapel boys and one preceptor. Alouisi had explicitly dedicated his opus 5, Corona stellarum (Venice, 1637), to this choir. Since the 17th cen- tury Alouisi’s works had been known in Piarist and Jesuit colleges in Slovakia;9 it can be královského rychtáře v Uherském Hradišti v roce 1632 [The royal judge’s interest in music in Uherské Hradiště in 1632], «Hudební věda», xxiv/1, 1987, pp. 63-72. 4 The composer himself signed his letters Alouisius. Cf. Jiří Sehnal, Italští hudebníci na jižní Moravě v prvním polovině 17. Století [The Italian musicians in south Moravia in the first half of the 17th century], «Jižní Morava», xli, 2005, pp. 83-96: 85. 5 Till today we have not been able to find more information about this College. 6 Jiří Sehnal, La musica alla corte dei vescovi di Olomouc dal sec. XIII alla metà del sec. XVII, «Quadrivium», xi/1, 1970, pp. 260-261. 7 Sehnal, Italští hudebníci, pp. 83-96. 8 Manual P[at]ris M[a]g[ist]ri Stephani Christ [Fratris] Ordinis Minorum [...] 1730, Brno, Moravská zemská knihovna, ms. 59, c. 206; ms. 60, c. 65. 9 Jana Kalinayová - Ladislav Kačic - Ivana Korbačková - Janka Petőczová, Hudobné inventáre a repertoár viachlasnej hudby na Slovensku v 16.-17. Storočí. [The music inventories and the repertoire of polyphonic music in Slovakia in the 16th and 17th centuries], Bratislava, Slovenské národné múzeum, 1994, pp. 30, 134. The next possible places where this music could be performed are the Piarist College and the Capuchin church in Mikulov.

– 398 – Adam Michna, A Czech Composer at the Crossroad of Styles deduced that they were also performed at the Piarist college in Mikulov (founded in 1631), in Strážnice (founded in 1633), and in Lipník nad Bečvou (founded in 1634). Strangely enough, no prints of Alouisi’s works are extant in Moravia, and there is no trace of their existence in Moravian or Bohemian sources. This can be partially explained by the turmoil and looting during the Thirty Years’ War. The lack of musical documents from the first half of the 17th century is typical for the territories possessed by the Bohemian crown. A propensity for new trends in music was also perceptible in the churches located on the estates belonging to cardinal Dietrichstein. Works in the old style (by Lasso, Kerle, Handl, Regnart) and in the new style (by Finetti, Puliti, Donati, Grandi) can be found in the inventories of the parish churches in Příbor (Freiberg) between 1614 and 1638.10 The print entitled Flores verni, provided for the educational institution (music seminary) in Oslavany in 1628, contains compositions in the old and in the new style.11 Presumably, similar music was played in the cathedral of Olomouc and in the collegiate churches of Saint Peter in Brno and Saint Moritz in Kroměříž. It is not possible to say anything more concrete about this because of the lack of sources. We can just speculate if Michna could have known the music of Alouisi. All the essential works of Adam Michna appeared in print, most of them produced in the Academic Printing-Office of the Jesuits in Prague. In fact, Michna was the only com- poser whose works were published by the Jesuit Printing-Office Clementinum in Prague.

1) Obsequium Marianum, Vienna, Matthaeus Rickhes, 1642, preserved in an incomplete version, dedicated to count Vilém Slavata;12 2) Česká mariánská muzika [Czech Saint Mary’s Music], Prague, Academic Printing- Office, 1647, dedicated by the Saint-Wenceslaus-Seminar to the archbishop of Prague Cardinal Ernst von Harrach;13 3) Officium vespertinum, Prague, Academic Printing-Office, 1648, dedicated to the Municipal Council in České Budějovice;14 4) Loutna česká [Czech lute], Prague, Academic Printing-Office, 1653, dedicated to the Municipal Council of the Old Town in Prague;15 5) Sacra et litaniae, Prague, Academic Printing-Office, 1654, dedicated to the Regent of Estates in the Diocese of Olomouc, Nikolaus Reiter von Hornberg;16

10 Jiří Sehnal, Nové poznatky k dějinám hudby na Moravě v 17. a 18. Století. [The latest findings on the history of music in Moravia in the 17th and 18th century], «Acta Musei Moraviae», lx, 1975, pp. 159-164; Id., Italští hudebníci na jižní Moravě v prvním polovině 17. Století [The Italian musicians in south Moravia in the first half of the 17th century], «Jižní Morava»,xli , 2005, pp. 83-96. 11 Sehnal, Italští hudebníci, pp. 92-93. 12 Archiv Českého rozhlasu [Archive of the Czech Radio], Praha, Arch. 5283. 13 Modern edition by Jiří Sehnal and Libor Štukavec, Praha, Supraphon, 1989. 14 Modern edition in three volumes by Vratislav Bělský and Jiří Sehnal, Praha, Editio Bärenreiter, 2003- 2004. 15 Modern edition by Martin Horyna und Julius Hůlek, České Budějovice, Státní vědecká knihovna, 1984. 16 Modern edition in seven volumes by Vratislav Bělský and Jiří Sehnal, Praha, Bärenreiter-Editio Supraphon, 1990-2007.

– 399 – Jiří Sehnal

6) Svatoroční muzika [Music for the Holy Year], Prague, Academic Printing-Office, 1661, dedicated to the Municipal Council of the Old Town in Prague.17

We also have manuscripts of two other compositions by Michna:

Missa Sancti Wenceslai, about 1669,18 and Magnificat a 12, undated.19

When, in 1627, Emperor Ferdinand II announced the Newe Landesordnung [New Country Rule], that allowed only the Catholic religion to be tolerated in the territories of the Bohemian Crown, a massive re-Catholisation of the largely non-Catholic population started. In this process, usually called the Counter-Reformation, Jesuits played the chief role. The spiritual song in the vernacular, in addition to sermons, played the most import­ ant role in the conversion of the people. At the time, among Bohemian Catholics singing in church was not common. The Catholic hierarchy had taken a reserved and distrustful stand on singing in the vernacular. To be sure, a limited Catholic repertoire had already existed, going back to earlier times. Some of the repertoire had also been adopted from the non-Catholic confessions. But it was not enough for converting a population. New times required a new repertoire. Adam Michna was one the few composers who knew how to successfully write both strophic church songs in the national language (see above his prints nos. 2, 4 and 6) and Latin figural music (1, 3, 5). Jindřichův Hradec, where he lived, was mostly an Utraquist city. Only a small number of its inhabitants professed the Catholic religion. It may well be that the Utraquists in Jindřichův Hradec cultivated Czech church songs, which would mean late polyphony in Latin and in Czech, but there is no concrete evidence of it. The Catholic minority was supported mainly by the Jesuit college. Certainly, Michna knew songs of the Czech Utraquists. And without doubt there were members of the Jesuit order who gave him the opportunity to compose spiritual songs to Czech texts. The texture of Michna’s songs was purely homophonic, with the melody in the upper voice. Monorhythmic setting had already been used in Bohemia in the 16th century but the cantus firmus was, as a rule, in the tenor-voice. According to the introductory note to Česká mariánská muzika, Michna with his part songs was aiming, to meet «the requirements of church singers in the smallest towns». Therefore, he set them as homo­ phonic songs for four to five voices, since these were easy to perform. It was possible to accompany the singing ad placitum with a thorough-bass instrument, or to double single voices with instruments or else to replace them by instruments. Although these pieces were intended by their author for church choirs, in the last third of the 17th century many of them appeared in printed Baroque song-books. As such, they became a lasting part of Czech Catholic church music. The collection Loutna česká also contains Czech

17 Modern edition by František Malý, Libor Štukavec und Jiří Sehnal, Praha, Editio Bärenreiter, 2001. 18 Modern edition by Jiří Sehnal, Praha, Supraphon, 19661 - Olomouc, Univerzita Palackého, 20102. 19 Modern edition by Jiří Sehnal and Robert Hugo, Olomouc, Univerzita Palackého, 2012.

– 400 – Adam Michna, A Czech Composer at the Crossroad of Styles strophic songs for two treble voices and basso continuo with instrumental ritornelli; the last named are unfortunately not extant. Among the 194 church songs composed by Michna some have traits of the old, and some of the new style. Here are elements of the old style: a) Modal thinking in most of the songs, visible in the ductus of the melody, especially in the structural step una nota super la, and in the minor third before a cadence. This modality gives a peculiar charm to the melodic lines. b) Changes of meter within the melody, found only in a minority of songs. c) Cadence-hemiolas in melodies in 3/2 meter (proportio sesquialtera), understood as the change of an uneven into an even beat in the last two bars before a final note of the phrase, without changing the time signature. Such cadences can be found as late as the middle of the 18th century, and are typical for Michna’s song-opus.

Example 1. Adam MichnaSehnal z Otradovic, es. 1 Adam Česká Michnamariánská z Otradovicmuzika 6 (Prague, Academic Printing-Office, 1647), no. 6

3 w ˙ w w #˙ w. ˙ ˙ ˙ w Ó & 2 #w ˙ #w ˙ ˙ #w. #˙ ˙ ˙ ˙w w Bůh se nám dnes˙ naw -- ro dil na-- ro ze -nim lid - ským,

? 3 w ˙ w #˙ ww ˙ w. ˙ #˙ ˙ ˙ #w˙. #œ œ w 2 w ˙ w w. ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ w Ó 8

w ˙ bw ˙ . ˙ b˙ & w ˙ ˙. œ ˙ w ˙ w. ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙œ œ #w˙ œ člo--- vě čen stvim se o -dil v žl-- vo tě pa - nen. -œ w ˙ w ˙ w. ˙ b˙ b˙ ˙ ? w ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ w ˙ w œ bœ w w. ˙ bœ œ ˙ ˙ w 14

& Ó C ˙ œ œ œ. j ˙ ˙ ww #œ œ œ œ #œ œ ˙ œ œ œ. œ ˙ ˙ ským. U --činěn jest dě --tá tkem ne - stih - lý v Jmo -cno - sti, ? w œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ ˙ ˙ w Ó C œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ 19 ˙ 3 ˙ ˙ ˙ #˙. œ w. & #œ œ œ œ #œ œ ˙ 2 ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ w œ #w. na-- ro zen ne -mluv --ňá tkem, jenž˙ jest od věč--no sti. œ œ œ œ œ ? œ œ n˙ 3 ˙ œ œ ˙ ˙w w. œ œ œ œ œ 2 ˙ ˙ w w.

– 401 – Jiří Sehnal

Elements of the new style: a) Homophonic setting in all songs. The homorhythmic texture had been known and used in Bohemia since the 16th century, but the melody was placed in the tenor, not in highest voice. Probably Michna was the first composer in Bohemia to consist- ently use a homophonic texture. In the introductory note to Česká mariánská muzika the composer labelled such a texture with an original term chorus monotessarus. b) Propensity for major tonality is particularly visible in Svatoroční muzika. c) More frequent use of 3/4 meter instead of the older ones: 3/1 or 3/2. However, the meter 3/4 (proportio tripla in the new style notation) does not appear before Svatoroční muzika. This could mean that after 1650, the composer gave priority to the more pro- gressive notation.

Example 2. Adam MichnaSehnal z Otradovic, es. 2 Adam Česká Michna mariánská z Otradovic muzika 3 (Prague, Academic Printing-Office, 1647), no. 3

3 ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙. œ ˙ w ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ & 2 ˙ ˙ ˙ w ˙ w ˙ w ˙ w ˙ Vi- tej, Pa -ne Je -zu Kri -ste, na -ro -- ze ˙ ˙ w ˙ w ˙ ˙ ? 3 ˙ ˙. œ ˙ ˙ ˙ 2 ˙ ˙ ˙ w ˙ w ˙ w ˙ w ˙ 6 w ˙ w Ó ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ & ˙ ˙ ˙ w˙ ˙ ˙ w ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ný z Pan -ny či -sté, vi- tej, la --ska vé dě - w ˙ w ˙ w ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ? w ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ Ó ˙ ˙ w ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ 11 ˙ . & ˙. œ ˙ ww Ó ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙w œ ˙ w. #˙. œ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ . w. t'á ---tko, roz------to mi lé ne vin ňá tko. ˙ w. w ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙. œ ˙ w. ? w. Ó ˙ ˙ ˙ w. w ˙ ˙ ˙ w.

Michna’s Latin compositions excel in an unusually heightened expressivity and theat­ rical dramaturgy, in the Early Baroque manner. These traits correspond perfectly with early Baroque sensitivity. In Michna’s music we still find this in the middle of the 17th century, when most composers had replaced the dramatic means of the early Baroque with a peace- ful, elegant harmony and singing melody. As propagators of musica moderna, representing Italian music, the Jesuits came into consideration again.

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Michna was the first Czech composer who was both anchored in the old Czech tradi- tion and, at the same time, admirably familiar with musica moderna. He was conscious of the modest performing possibilities of church musicians living in the countryside. All music depended on the teachers and schoolboys. Only in bigger towns, where so-called Turmmusiker (Kunstpfeifer) were engaged, could rector chori expect to have trombones, cornetts, or string instruments. In the countryside, there were only small organs with just one manual, positives with four-six voices, or regals available. This influenced the instru- mentation of Michna’s compositions.

From a stylistic point of view, Michna’s latin polyphonic works can be characterized as follows:

a) Michna’s most common method of composition consists of a constant change between a solo voice (mostly soprano) and a mainly a homophonic chorus of four voices. Solo-voices alternate between an agitated recitative and an arioso. The chorus begins immediately on the last note of the solo, and this connects, in its turn, immediately to the last note of the chorus. Thus the musical flow gives the impression of a continuous stream of sound. Such a compositional method can be seen especially in the Psalms of the Officium vespertinum, and in some masses of Sacra et litaniae.

Example 3. Adam MichnaSehnal z Otradovic, es. 3 Dixit Adam Dominus Michna Dixit In Officium vespertinum (Prague, Academic Printing-Office, 1648)

Canto # solo j r j r ˙. j j j & C Œ œ . œ œ . œ œ œ . œ #œ œ ‰ j œ œ Di- xit Do -- mi nus Do - mi - noR me - o: Seœ - de a Cappella Canto & C ∑ ∑ ∑

Cappella Alto & C ∑ ∑ ∑

Cappella Tenore V C ∑ ∑ ∑

Cappella Basso ? C ∑ ∑ ∑

Bassus # pro organo ? œ œ #œ œ œ œ C w œ ˙ œ 4

& œ. œ #œ œ ∑ ∑ ∑ dex-- trisJ me is. œ – 403 – j j & Ó Œ œ œ œ œ J œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ DoJ- necJ poJ - namJ i ----- niJ mi œ cosœ tu - os, sca --bel lum pe - dum, j j j j j & Ó Œ j j j œ Doœ- necœ poœ -- nam,œ poœ namœ œ i-- niœ miœ - cosœ tuœ - os,œ scaœ -belœ - lumœ pe - dum,œ j j j j V Ó Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ jœ œ œ Do- nec po - nam, poJ - namJ i - ni -mi - cos tu - os, scaœ -- bel lum pe- œ œ ? Ó Œ j j œ œ J œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ jœ œ œ Doœ- necœ po- nam, po- namJ J i - niJ -mi - cos tu - os, scaœ -- bel lum pe-

# 5 6 6 # b ? œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Sehnal es. 3 Adam Michna Dixit

Canto # solo j r j r ˙. j j j & C Œ œ . œ œ . œ œ œ . œ #œ œ ‰ j œ œ Di- xit Do -- mi nus Do - mi - noR me - o: Seœ - de a Cappella Canto & C ∑ ∑ ∑

Cappella Alto & C ∑ ∑ ∑

Cappella Tenore V C ∑ ∑ ∑

Cappella Basso ? C ∑ ∑ ∑

Bassus Jiří Sehnal # pro organo ? œ œ #œ œ œ œ C w œ ˙ œ 4

& œ. œ #œ œ ∑ ∑ ∑ dex-- trisJ me is. œ j j & Ó Œ œ œ œ œ J œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ DoJ- necJ poJ - namJ i ----- niJ mi œ cosœ tu - os, sca --bel lum pe - dum, j j j j j & Ó Œ j j j œ Doœ- necœ poœ -- nam,œ poœ namœ œ i-- niœ miœ - cosœ tuœ - os,œ scaœ -belœ - lumœ pe - dum,œ j j j j V Ó Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ jœ œ œ Do- nec po - nam, poJ - namJ i - ni -mi - cos tu - os, scaœ -- bel lum pe- œ œ ? Ó Œ j j œ œ J œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ jœ œ œ Doœ- necœ po- nam, po- namJ J i - niJ -mi - cos tu - os, scaœ -- bel lum pe-

# 5 6 6 # b ? œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

This compositional procedure also appears in pieces by some of Michna’s contempor­ aries. A similar process was used, even if not so consistently as by Michna, for example, by Alouisi in the Litany of Loreto from his work Corona stellarum. A strikingly similar compositional technique can be found in the Vespers of Pietro Verdina (ca. 1600- 1643)20 and in music of the French composer Guillaume Bouzignac (†1641), whose works Michna could hardly have known. Verdina’s musical setting is marked, unlike that of Michna, by more attractive melodies and a more frequent and more skillful use of counterpoint in the choral passages.

b) Setting music to a psalm or a mass-ordinary could actually consist of putting words to any notes whatsoever. But the musical gist originates in using properties of the music itself. In addition to the musical elements, such as harmony, rhythm, polyphony and homophony, form is also essential. Without exploiting these elements, setting to music a complex text, for example, a psalm, can only be chaotic and formless. Michna knew and made use of principles of the missa parodia. In Sacra et litaniae he built all the sections of the second mass on an ini- tial motif of an old Czech church song Již slunce z hvězdy vyšlo. He also knew how to achieve unity of a complex text by repeating a short motif (Beatus vir, Magnificat) or of a whole phrase (Laudate pueri Dominum). The text of the psalm is performed in concertato style by a bass voice, whereas the choir of four high voices (3C, A), after every verse, impressively repeats a refrain with the words Sit nomen Domini benedictum ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum.

20 Kroměříž, Music Archive of the Archdiocesan Museum, A 425; cfr. Jiří Sehnal - Jitřenka Pešková, Caroli Liechtenstein-Castelcorno episcopi Olomucensis operum artis musicae collectio Cremsirii reservata, Praha, Národní knihovna ČR, 1998, II, p. 650.

– 404 – Adam Michna, A Czech Composer at the Crossroad of Styles

Example 4. Adam MichnaSehnal z Otradovic, es. 4 Adam Laudate Michna pueri Laudate pueri In Officium vespertinum (Prague, Academic Printing-Office, 1648)

Basso # bœ solo ? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ C ‰œœ œ J œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ J J J Lau- da - te,J o puJ -- eR ri,R Do - miJ - num, lau -da - te,J lau - da - te

Canto & C ∑ ∑ ∑

Canto II & C ∑ ∑ ∑

Canto III & C ∑ ∑ ∑

Alto & C ∑ ∑ ∑

6 6 Bassus j b pro organo ? C ˙. ˙ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ 4 # œ œ œ ? ≈ œ œ œ œ œ j ˙Ó ∑ no- men, no ---œ œ menœ Doœ. -- miœ ni. œ œ œ & ∑ ∑ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ J Sit no- men DoJ -- miR niR beJ - ne - dic - tum, œ j r r œ & ∑ ∑ Œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ Sit no- men Do -- mi ni beJ - neJ - dic - tum, r r & ∑ ∑ Œ j j bœ œ œ Sitœ noœ - menœ Doœ -- miœ niœ beœ - neJ - dic - tum, j r r & ∑ ∑ Œ œ œ œ j j œ Sitœ noœ - menœ Do -- mi nib beœ - neœ - dicœ - tum, 4 3 ? w œ ˙ ˙ & œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ

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c) Michna’s recitative is full of rhetorical figures: repeated calls, sighs, dramatic pauses and imagery of ascending, descending, or other types of melodic formations. Somewhere, Michna must have diligently learned the theory of rhetorical figures. As a pupil of Jesuits, he could have acquired some fundamentals of the art of oratory and theatrical expression during his school-days in Jindřichův Hradec. Who taught him to transfer the spoken rhetoric into the language of music is an open question. After all, there is a difference between the rhetoric of speech and the language of music. Sometimes it seems that Michna attached more importance to rhetorical expression than to free musical inspiration, and that he used the rules of rhetoric acquired at school too literally in his music. Perhaps, this is the main difference between a recitative composed by Michna, and one by Alouisi or Verdina. We do not know to what extent Michna knew the recitative of his Italian contemporaries. Metaphorically speaking, it could be said that his recitative sounds more grainy than the Italian recitative, and it that lacks the melodic grace thereof.

d) Undoubtedly, Michna knew the principles of correct voice leading, but was more closely acquainted with homophonic thinking than with counterpoint. This was due to the exigencies of his time. Nevertheless, every composer had to have command of counter- point. Already in his Obsequium Marianum (1642) we find an Introitus 2. de BMV a 5 Contra punct., but because two voices are missing we cannot appreciate the quality of Michna’s counterpoint. Perhaps, with this piece Michna only wanted to demonstrate his knowledge of counterpoint. Although the Kyrie from Missa sancti Wenceslai (ca. 1669) is made up of innumerable imitations of a five-tone-motiv, it is actually a multiple repeti- tion of the same motif in different voices and registers, rather than real counterpoint. So in his attitude towards counterpoint Michna was modern. He still created more elegant but shorter imitations in the Missa pro defunctis in Sacra et litaniae (1654). However, in his polyphonic settings we also find unusual, and clumsy voice leading, as illustrated in measures 23-24 in example 6.

The third mass of Sacra et litaniae, built on a basso ostinato of eight bars, is a spe- cial feat. In the first half of the 17th century variations based on a basso ostinato were a favourite form of instrumental and vocal music. Claudio Monteverdi belonged to the group of composers who excelled brilliantly in this technique of writing music. The basso ostinato already appears in the compositions of Tarquinio Merula (1649) who, for this purpose, used the Ruggiero-bass.21 Giovanni Valentini (1582/3-1649) also composed a Litaniae a 5 super 4 battudas in Vienna.22 Michna tried out the technique of basso osti- nato as early as 1642 in his op. 1 Obsequium Marianum, in which the psalm Dixit consists of 16 repetitions of an exceptionally long bass of ten bars. In the third mass of Sacra et litaniae the bass is repeated altogether fifty times. Michna invented a melody of eight measures in alla breve, which made numerous changes of harmony possible.

21 Stephen Bonta, Tarquinio Merula, in NG, XII, p. 192. 22 Kroměříž, Music Archive of the Archdiocesan Museum, A 954; cf.: Sehnal - Pešková, Caroli Liechtenstein, pp. 567-568.

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Sehnal es. 5 Adam Michna Missa III Example 5. Adam Michna z Otradovic, Missa III In Sacra et litaniae (Prague, Academic Printing-Office, 1654)

Canto I & b C ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

Canto II & b C ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

Alto & b C ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

Tenore V b C ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ Basso ? b C ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

Violino I . . b C Œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œbœ œ œ œ œbœœœ œœ œ & œ œ œ. J J œ Violino II ˙ j œ & b C ∑ Œ œœœœ œ. œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œœ œœ œ #œ 7 6 6 6 6 6 Organo e contrabasso ? œ œ b C œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ 5

& b ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

& b ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

& b ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

V b ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ? b ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ‰œ œ & b J œ J œ œ œ œ œ œ b ‰œn œ œ œ œ œ œ œbœ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œnœ œ œ. œ œ œ œ & œ J œ #œ œ œ œ œ 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 ? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

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The note E flat’ is uncommon and has not been found in any extant organ in Bohemia.23 It seems that with this mass the composer wanted to show off his technical skill. We can admire his inventiveness in the variations, but the total impression left by the mass is rather flat. The reason for this is perhaps the rhythmically monotonous but harmonically too variegated bass. The bass-melody is close to the Mixolydian mode. Still, seen from the standpoint of tonal harmony, the melody has seven cadences in the tonalities F, B flat, G, C, d, g and F.

e) Michna’s harmony, also in his polyphonic works, alternates between modality and tonality. Therefore, it cannot be easily analyzed. Michna ascribed a special meaning to the expressive series of third-related chords. He used these chord-progressions at places where he wanted to represent suffering, pain, distress, or mortal fear. At such places the vocal line ascends a semitone to a note foreign to the scale. This step was then accompanied by two chords, in a third-relation, with one tone in common, for example G-E flat or D-B flat (relatio non harmonica). The sound of it was relatively soft, and such phrases often appear not only in Italian works but also in works of German composers of the time. In the Missa pro defunctis from Sacra et litaniae Michna uses chords with roots a third from each other but with no com- mon note at all. Rough sounds are the result of this procedure. Such related chord connections were in common use around 1600, but after 1650 were no longer applied. From where did Michna get the idea of such chord progressions and why did he still use them around 1650? Sehnal es. 6 Adam Michna Salve Regina Example 6. Adam Michna z Otradovic, Salve Regina In Officium vespertinum (Prague, Academic Printing-Office, 1648)

Canto solo & b á∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ -vae. Cappella Canto b ∑ w w áÓ˙ www á. ná w & Ad te su- spi --ra mus ge -men - tes etw flená. -#tesá in Cappella Alto & b ∑ ww á Ó #w w Ad te su-b spi˙ --raww mus ge -men á - tesáw et flená. -tesáw in Cappella Tenore b ∑ w w Ó ˙ w á w á. áw V Ad te suá - spi --#wraw mus ge -men w - #tesá et flen -tes in Cappella Basso ? ∑ bá Ó ˙ www á. á w á. á #w b Adww te su- spi --ra mus ge -men - tes et flen -tes in 5 Bassus # b # # pro organo ? á. á. #w b ∑ ww bá Ó ˙ á w á w á

23 All known organs and positives from the 17th century had a diapason C-c’’’ plus a short octave (without the notes C sharp, D sharp, F sharp, G sharp). We can only speculate whether or not Michna in Jindřichův Hradec had at his disposal an organ with an unusually large diapason.

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Example 7. Adam Michna zSehnal Otradovic, es. Credo 7 Adam Michna Credo In Missa sancti Wenceslai (ms. ca. 1669)

Violino o w ˙ . Cornetto I 3 w ˙ bw. w & 2 Violino o Cornetto II 3 w ˙ & 2 bw. w ˙ w. Alto solo 3 & 2 w bw. w. bw œ bœ best,˙ pas - sus, pas ---sus, et Tenore I solo 3 w bw. w w œ V 2 b˙ Ó œ est, pas --sus, pas sus, et 5 6 n b Organo ? 3 . bw. w. 2 bw w. 5 w. bw w & ˙ w. ˙ w.

˙ bw b˙ & w w. . w w.

& œ Ó Ó b˙ ˙ seb --œ pul˙. tusœ est,w et se --pulw tus˙ est.w. œ œ ˙. ˙ V œ ˙ b˙ se-- pul tus est, et se -pulw. -----w tus˙ est.w. 6 4 3 6 4 3 b ? w. bw. ˙ w ˙ w w.

f) Already in Obsequium Marianum (1642), Michna took advantage of violins, violas,­ and trombones obligati. Therefore it is strange that in Officium vespertinumfrom 1648 he used only an organ alone, although he allowed the choral voices to be doubled by violas and trombones ad libitum. In Sacra et litaniae from 1654, he again called for violins, violas, and trombones obligati. These were the basic instruments of the municipal Kunstpfeifer (musicians playing wind-instruments), called ‘turner’ in Czech lands.24

24 Jiří Sehnal, Městští hudebníci na Moravě v 17. a 18. Století [The municipal musicians in Moravia in the 17th and 18th centuries], «Musicologica historica», I, 2011, p. 62-69.

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The instruments in Michna’s works play short introductory sonatas and interludes. At the tutti fragments, they also parallel the vocal lines. The ductus of the violins shows that Michna himself knew how to play the violin. In the Missa Sancti Wenceslai from around 1670, he dispenses with trombones but employs clarini playing concertato in addition to string instruments. The use of trumpets was dictated by the destination of these works. Evidently, Michna wrote the mass for the feast of Saint Wenceslaus, who once consec­ rated the cathedral in Olomouc. The bishop’s music ensemble of Olomouc chapel, being in the possession of local princes and bishops, had at its disposal the best trumpeters in Moravia.25 His maestro trumpeter Pavel Vejvanovský (?1639-1693) also produced a copy of this mass around 1670. Likewise, Michna appears, in his expectations of trumpeters, oddly enough, as an expert in virtuoso trumpet playing, although in Jindřichův Hradec there were no known virtuoso trumpeters. In all other works Michna demanded, along with strings, only trombone and cornetti, instruments typical among municipal musicians. We have tried to demonstrate how the only representative of Czech music in the early Baroque knew how to come to terms with the innovations of Italian music. As a contem- porary of Carissimi and Schütz, Michna remains rather isolated. In his music we fail to find the melodic beauty of Carissimi and the measured eminence of Schütz. His music is dominated by archaic simplicity, upon which rudimentary elements of Italian dramatic style were grafted. In contrast to the works of Giovanni Battista Alouisi, the Italian secret­ ary of the prince Dietrichstein, the compositions of Michna give the impression of being almost rough and clumsy. Nevertheless, Michna knew very well the expressive qualities of Italian musica moderna. Unfortunately, it remains unclear where he made the style of musica moderna his own.26 Was Italian music, already during the Thirty Years’ War so renowned in Bohemia, or had he had the occasion to learn it somewhere abroad? Until now the sources have given us no answer.

(Translated by Judith Wickstroem-Haber and Antoni Buchner †)

25 Jiří Sehnal, Pavel Vejvanovský and the Kroměříž music collection, Olomouc, Palacký University, 2008, pp. 126-152. 26 In the dedication of Obsequium Marianum to his superior Count Vilém Slavata Michna wrote: «Tua omnino sunt, quia mea sunt a te mi profecta». According to this it seems that Count Slavata made some special contribution to Michna’s musical education. Unfortunately it cannot be ascertained where, when and by whom Michna was educated.

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Abstract

Adam Michna (1600?-1676) is the most important Czech composer of the 17th century. He studied with Jesuits and spent his life as an organist in Jindřichův Hradec, a town in Southern Bohemia. He composed Czech spiritual songs to his own lyrics in a homophonic style, intended for the church choirs in the countryside. His Latin works for soloist and choir with an instrumental accompani- ment appeared mostly in print. They prove that, in the 1620s, Michna had became acquainted with the stylistic traits of Italian musica moderna. His work is analyzed and presented from a stylistic viewpoint. Although Michna was a contemporary of Alberik Mazák, Antonio Bertali, Giacomo Carissimi, Giovanni Battista Alouisi, and many others, his music cannot be compared with the works of any of these masters. Therefore, it is impossible to state which composers were his models. His position as a creative musician at the crossroads of styles lies, on the one hand, in his homophonic, partly modal way of thinking, and in a very modest use of counterpoint. On the other hand, one finds in his works an agitated recitative of solo voices and a frequent use of rhetorical figures, as well as, for the times, unusual harmonies consistent with the music of the beginning of the 17th century.

Adam Michna (1600?-1676) è il più importante compositore ceco del XVII secolo. Studiò dai gesui­ti e trascorse la sua vita a Jindřichův Hradec, una città della Boemia meridionale, dove fu attivo come organista. Compose canzoni spirituali ceche su testi propri in stile omoritmico, destinate ai cori delle chiese di campagna. Le sue opere in latino per voce sola e coro con accom- pagnamento strumentale apparvero per lo più a stampa. Esse sono la prova che, negli anni venti del Seicento, Michna conobbe i tratti stilistici della musica moderna italiana. La sua produzione è stata analizzata dal punto di vista stilistico. Sebbene Michna fosse un contemporaneo di Alberik Mazák, Antonio Bertali, Giacomo Carissimi, Giovanni Battista Alouisi e molti altri, la sua musica non regge il confronto con le opere di nessuno di questi maestri. Pertanto, non è possibile affermare quali compositori fossero i suoi modelli. La sua collocazione di musicista creativo al crocevia di diversi stili è dovuta, da un lato, alla sua concezione omoritmica, e in parte modale, e all’uso molto limitato del contrappunto. D’altra parte, nelle sue opere compaiono anche un recitativo agitato per voci soliste e un uso frequente di figure retoriche e di armonie insolite per il suo tempo che rinviano alla musica degli inizi del XVII secolo.

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