Josquin Des Prez: Ly Untrained Singers

The vocal and choral music of the Renaissance provides a great wealth The Missa Pange lingua of of repertoire for the small mixed choir composed of young and most Josquin des Prez: ly untrained singers. The madrigal, An Approach to both in its performance with solo ensemble and with small choir, has Renaissance Performance Practice been a mainstay of high school and college programs for decades. by Barbara L. Hall Sacred music and particularly the mass setting, though no less suitable for such choirs, presents to decade, and even from perform Florentine Cathedral in 1502 the greater obstacles of language, of ance to performance. This article, fourteen singers were divided into musical style, and of performance then, seeks to suggest solutions to seven sopranos (five boys and two practice. Yet the masses of Josquin, these problems of performance adults) two altos, three tenors, and Victoria, and Palestrina, among based on one conductor's personal two basses.8 From the practical others, contain some of the most interpretation of the triad that links standpoint of today's mixed SATB powerful music of the Renaissance. historical, musical, and practical choir, an equal number of singers on In addition, an entire mass can pro factors. each part, unbalanced only in the vide the substantial core for a pro First, to perform a Renaissance case of a weaker group of voices in gram, thus relieving the problem of mass as a single musical entity any section, seems a good general a long succession of short unrelated defies the historical practice in rule. In fact, the young female works. which the mass was part of a larger soprano voice often has the The question of performance liturgy and was divided by other strongest and most developed tone practice can be divided into three sung and spoken portions into five rather than the weakest, thereby elements: historical authenticity, separate musical works.3 Some of nullifying the historical need to rein musical expressivity, and practical the decisions that must be made to foce this voice part. The use of at considerations. As concrete infor day for a concert performance of the least three voices but no more than mation on the historical practice of mass are predicated on the need for five or six per section avoids the pro the late fifteenth and early sixteenth variety that sustains the listener's as blems of too few to establish a blend centuries comes to light, we as per well as the performer's interest over and too many to maintain the clarity formers are constrained to incor a long span of time. The variation of .and purity of sound. Here the porate such material in the decision tone color, tempo, dynamics, phras historical precedent becomes making process that is performance ing, and articulation serves this end today's musical and practical solu preparation. Richard Taruskin in and may also serve to articulate the tion as well. sists that we have an "absolute in structure of the composition.4 The quality and characteristics of junction to take history into ac overall sound and hence of vocal We know with some accuracy how production as well are nearly im count," but he sees this demand as a many singers were employed at challenge that frees us from unques possible to document precisely. court chapels and cathedrals in Italy Himself a singer, Josquin was called tioned assumptions and guides our during Josquin's active years search for "the identification of per a "master of singers" by Glareanus (1460-1520), and that the numbers and surely demanded a particular formance style with the demands of were often determined by politics, the music."1 This "authenticity of vocal quality for the performance of wealth, and social custom rather his music. An exact contemporary conviction" rests on "knowing what 5 than by aesthetic preferences. The of Josquin, the theorist Franchinus you mean and whence comes that number ranged from four (one knowledge."2 Thus the responsibili Gafurius, offers an unusually clear singer on a part) in smaller chapels statement of what this idea! tone ty of the performer goes beyond in the 1470s to a total of thirty musicological research to the might have been: singers at the Sistine Chapel in ... in performing they should not thoughtful coordination of historical 6 1521. These are extremes; a tota I of project their voices with an and musical factors. fifteen to twenty-four singers was This task is made more liberating unusual and unsightly opening of more common, particularly in the their mouths, or with an absurd by the certain knowledge that for decades around the turn of the six loud bellowing when they strive the majority of works from teenth century.? after melodies, especially in the Josquin's time more than one style Usually these choirs were com divine mysteries. They should also of performance is historically possi posed of men and boys, with the ex spurn excessive vibrato and voices ble. The number of performers ception of the choir of the Sistine which are too loud, for they are not varied, the pitch at which the works Chapel which had only adult singers. compatible with other voices similarly pitched. lO were sung differed, the use of in In general, boys were used only on strumental accompaniment was the top part and often were joined by He also warns against "an ex fixed neither as to instruments used one or two adult male sopranos. travagant and indecorous move nor to their use at all, and tempos Perhaps because of the lighter boys' ment of the head or hands" since on and dynamic levels surely differed voices and falsetto tone of the men, ly "a well-modulated voice" pro from church to church, from decade the number of sopranos often was duces the desired tone.ll Hall is head of the music program at Cen twice as high as the number of any Experience confirms that a tone tre College Danville, Kentucky other part. For example, at the on the light, pure, and straight side February 1986 Page 5 improves the blend within each sec recorded performances.13 More than this reason, one or more tenors fre tion and within the group, purifies thirty years later, Noble would be quently join the altos for low the intonation, and projects the pleased to find the large number of passages; the reverse also solves the clarity of each linear strand of performances striving for this clari problem of high phrases in the tenor melody. This last pOint is particular ty. parts where, to keep the tone pure ly apt for the music of Josquin's The young undergraduate voices I and full enough, one or more altos time. The principle of composi work with achieve this light sound join the tenors. Since a soloistic tion-a counterpoint of equal without strain. The tenors and vocal color is avoided in all sections, voices-"should be mirrored in the sopranos use a light head tone while this crossing of color actually adds sound."12 In his 1953 survey of six the basses can use a fuller tone but to the blend and ease of projection teenth-century sacred music on with brightness for clarity in the low for each melodic strand. records, Jeremy Noble found that range. The altos have the most dif Because of the original disposi "the absence of this linear quality ficulty since their part often lies tion for men and boys, most ... is the most general failing" in the quite low in range and tessitura. For Renaissance sacred works are too low for performance by a mixed choir at original pitch. Again, the practical considerations are con gruent with historical precedent. Transposition up a major second and even up a minor third was not infrequent during the Renaissance.14 In addition, according to Peter Phillips "we cannot with any certain ty predict what pitch was considered to be normal."15 Only in cases of the association of a particular tessitura with a symbolic meaning, such as Performing Arts at Oberlin • Summer 86 the unusually low range of some Re June 15-August 9 quiem Mass settings, would a reasonable and practical transposi tion not serve the music. In my edi tion of Josquin's Missa Pange lingua Oberlin Conservatory the transposition is a third higher than the original score. However, in several performances the choir sang of Music Institutes the work a half step lower or a half step higher than notated; the higher pitch in particular produced better and Workshops overall intonation. Vocal Enrichment Institute The matter of instrumental ac July 6-July 12 companiment of sacred music also lacks definitive historical answers. • unique opportunity for intensive study of technical and The musicological con census is practical aspects of performance for high-school. college. against any instrument other than and private students and teachers of singing organ being used as part of a -Richard Miller. Director liturgical service. 16 Though there is Performing Arts at Oberlin Summer 86 includes eight no conclusive evidence that the organ actually accompanied the Conservatory workshops; the Oberlin Theater Institute with a singers, Frank D' Accone agrees with professional repertory company of American theater artists Professor Helmut Hucke that and members of the Royal Shakespeare Company as actor teachers; and the Ohio Ballet. For information. contact the Oherlin Conservatory of Music. Oherlin College. Oherlin. Ohio 44074. 216/775-8200. For the Baroque WHOLESALE Performance Institute. telephone 216/775-8268. GROUP AIR TRAVEL Book your own air fare! Save Thousands of Dollars Call person to person collect - Dick Madsen (801) 272-8093 ET.

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