Durham E-Theses Renaissance humanism and John Merbecke's - The booke of Common praier noted (1550) Kim, Hyun-Ah How to cite: Kim, Hyun-Ah (2005) Renaissance humanism and John Merbecke's - The booke of Common praier noted (1550), Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/2767/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Renaissance Humanism and John Merbecke's The booke of Common praier noted (1550) Hyun-Ah Kim A copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Durham University Department of Music Durham University .2005 m 2001 ABSTRACT Hyun-Ah Kim Renaissance Humanism and John Merbecke's The booke of Common praier noted (1550) Renaissance humanism was an intellectual technique which contributed most to the origin and development of the Reformation. While the relation of Renaissance humanism and the Reformation is of considerable interest in the realms of history and theology, it has seldom been examined from a musicological perspective. This study aims to fill that gap by elucidating the way humanist musical thought influenced Reformation attitudes to music, with particular reference to the sixteenth-century reform of plainchant. The focus of the study is on the musical manifestation of the English Reformation, The booke of Common praier noted (BCPN, 1550) by John Merbecke (c.l505 - c.1585). Drawing upon issues of the interpretation of Renaissance humanism and its relation to the Reformation, the thesis challenges existing understandings of Merbecke and his music. Chapter one is a biographical study to re-appraise Merbecke's careers and outlooks in the light of Renaissance humanism, especially of Erasmian lines. It serves as a starting point for re-evaluating the significance of BCPN in relation to humanist musical thought. Chapter two explores the musical framework of Erasmian humanism which became a major intellectual basis for the renewal of Christian music on the eve of the Reformation. Chapter three reveals the core of Anglican plainchant apologetics underlying BCPN, illustrating that the musico- rhetorical and ethical associations of humanism played an integral part in shaping the Anglican criteria of true ecclesiastical music. Chapter four argues that two humanist conceptions were integrated into the programme of the reform of plainchant in BCPN. 'rhetorical theology' (theologia rhetorica) and 'rhetorical music' (musica rhetorica). It explores word-tone relations in BCPN, thereby demonstrating its characteristics as a humanist plainchant directed towards the 'rhetoricisation of music'; it sheds a new light upon Merbecke's notation and modes in 5CFA^, especially_in relationJo the_!^theory_of_accented singing' and the_ doctrine.of'mode ethos'. ^ „^ No part of this thesis has previously been submitted for a degree at Durham University or any other university. © Hyun-Ah Kim The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published in any format, including electronic and the Internet, without the author's prior written consent. All information derived from this thesis must be acknowledged appropriately. CONTENTS Introduction: Merbecke Studies past and present I. A Humanist Jolin Merbecke 1. A Biographical Outline 2. Christian Humanism 3. Humanism and John Merbecke II. Erasmian Humanism and the Reform of Christian Music 1. The Humanist Root of Reformation Attitudes to Music 2. The Erasmian Ideal of Ecclesiastical Music 3. Erasmus' Criticism of Contemporary Church Music III. Anglican Plainchant in the Making 1. Humanism and the Musical Reform of the English Church 2. Anglican Apologetics for Plainchant 3. English Plainchant in the 1540s IV. Rhetoric and the Reform of Plainchant in The booke of Common prater noted (1550) 1. Plainchant as Musica Rhetorica 2. Word-Tone Relations in The booke of Common praier noted 3. The Ethos of Modes in The booke of Common praier noted Conclusion Appendix Bibliography CONTENTS (Details) Acknowledgements v Abbreviations vi List of Figures vii List of Examples viii List of Tables iv Introduction: Merbecke Studies past and present i 1. The Merbecke Revival in the Nineteenth Century 2 2. Merbecke Studies in the Twentieth Century 8 3. A New Approach to Merbecke Studies 15 4. The Purpose and Structure of the Thesis 24 I. A Humanist John Merbecke 1. A Biographical Outline 33 c.1505 - 1547 33 1547 - 1553 37 1553 - 1558 40 1559-C.1585 46 2. Christian Humanism 50 Definitions and Interpretations of Renaissance Humanism 50 Erasmus' Christian Humanism 56 The Dissemination of Erasmian Humanism in Tudor England 65 3. Humanism and John Merbecke 76 Merbecke's Religious and Intellectual Development in the 1530s and 1540s 76 A Booke of Notes and Common Places (1581) 82 Merbecke as the 'Orator' 91 II. Erasmian Humanism and the Reform of Christian Music 1. The Humanist Root of Reformation Attitudes to Music 107 Humanism and the Reformation 107 Humanist Impact on Musical Views of the Protestant Reformers 115 2. The Erasmian Ideal of Ecclesiastical Music 124 Music and Rhetoric 124 Music and Moral Philosophy 133 The Revival of Ancient Church Music 138 3. Erasmus' Criticism of Contemporary Church Music 143 Instrumental Music 143 Vocal Music 151 III. Anglican Plainchant in the Making 1. Humanism and the Musical Reform of the English Church 160 Erasmian Musical View in Early English Protestantism 160 The Link between Moral and Musical Reform 172 2. Anglican Apologetics for Plainchant 180 Cantus planus in the Reformation 180 Anglican Apologetics for Music 187 3. English Plainchant in the 1540s 200 Cranmer's Litany (1544) 200 The booke of Common praier noted (1550) 206 lu IV. Rhetoric and the Reform of Plainchant in The booke of Common praier noted (1550) 1. Plainchant as Musica Rhetorica 225 Plainchant and Theologia Rhetorica 225 The Relevance of Rhetoric to Music 231 2. Word-Tone Relations in The booke of Common praier noted 239 The 'Rhetoricisation' of Cantusplanus 239 Humanist Framework of The booke of Common praier noted 249 Christian Hebraism and the Reform of Plainchant 274 3. The Ethos of Modes in The booke of Common praier noted 297 Mode ethos 297 The Rhetorical Use of Modes in The booke of Common praier noted 301 Conclusion 316 Appendix 326 Bibliography 330 1. Primary Sources 330 2. Secondary Sources 335 IV Acknowledgements I am grateful to staff and colleagues in the Department of Music for their help: Prof David Greer, my first teacher in Durham; Prof Jeremy Dibble; Prof Max Paddison; Drs. Fabrice and Lois Fitch and Dr. Thomas Muir. Most of all, I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Bennett Zon, for his untiring advice, criticism, and support for the past four years. I am also gratefiil to the following scholars for their advice and encouragement: Dr. Paul Ayris; Prof Jeremy Begbie; Dr. Bonnie Blackburn; Revd Prof Douglas Davies; Prof Marco Gozzi; Dr. Leofranc Holford-Strevens; Prof Robin Leaver; Dr. Alistair MacGregor; Dr. Kerry McCarthy; Dr. Noel O'Regan; Dr. Anne Overell; Dr. Thomas Schmidt-Beste and Prof John Yamamoto-Wilson. Without the great help of friends, my doctoral study could never have made it to this stage: Drs. Alan and Jennifer Suggate; Revd Jim Sheehy; Revd Dr. Michael Sharratt; Revd Dr. Jeremy Corley; Dr. Melinda Whong-Barr and Dr. Claudio Dalla-Vecchia. My final thanks go to my parents, my first teachers in the study of music, history and theology, to my husband Chang-Won Park for his support and assistance, and to the trees of the River Wear which gave me rest throughout this study. Abbreviations AIM American Institute of Musicology A&M Acts and Monuments BCPN The booke of Common praier noted CWE Collected Works of Erasmus JAMS Journal of the American Musicological Society JHI Journal of the History of Ideas LB Desiderii Erasmi Opera omnia LW Luther's Works MSD Musicological Studies and Documents MQ The Musical Quarterly RQ Renaissance Quarterly SCJ Sixteenth Century Journal STC A Short-Title Catalogue of Books printed in England, Scotland, and Ireland VAI Visitation Articles and Injunctions of the Period of the Reformation VI List of Figures Fig. 1. Front page, A booke of notes and Common places (1581) 84 Fig. 2. The epistle dedicatory, A booke of notes and Common places (1581) 85 Fig. 3. Handwriting of John Merbecke 97 Fig. 4. An Illustration from Merbecke's The lyues of holy Sainctes, Prophetes (1574)... 99 Fig. 5. Suffrages, Cranmer's First Litany (1544) 203 Fig. 6. Front page {BCPN) 215 Fig. 7. The Lord's Prayer, Mattins (BCPN) 216 Fig. 8. The Preface to BCPN 259 Fig. 9. J. Reuchlin, De accentibus et orthographia linguae Hebraicae (1518) 278 Fig. 10. S. Muenster, M'lekhet ha-Diqduq /Institutiones Grammaticae (1524) 279 Fig. 11. J. Vallensis, Sefer Tuv Taam / Opus de Prosodia Hebraeorum (1545) 279 Fig. 12. Hebrew Manuscript Munich 427, fol. la, lb 281 Fig. 13. The first woodblock initial, At the Burial of the dead {BCPN) 310 vu List of Examples Ex.1.