Fabrice Fitch AGRICOLA ixb: Je n’ay dueil, for solo tenor sackbut Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/41/1/138/353488 by guest on 02 October 2021 offer this composition in support of the view than the modern trombone. In case of performance I that, as with any musical repertory, the contin- on the latter, the player should experiment with ued relevance of ‘early music’ to contemporary mutes or some other means of sound transforma- society cannot be taken for granted, but requires tion (excluding ‘wa-wa’ mute) that helps focus the critical scrutiny and practical demonstration. The sound as closely as possible. dialogue between these functions, which has char- Dynamic Except at bar 17 (see below), the prevailing dynamic acterized Early Music from the start, is as necessary is at the performer’s discretion, taking particular account of the acoustic and space (see also under ‘Pauses’). now as it was 40 years ago. (See my ‘“Agricolesque, Alternate slide positions for bisbigliandi and microtones ou presque”: for the Agricola quincentenary’, Early Quartertones are obtained using either the 11th partial in nor- Music, xxxiv/3 (August 2006), pp.359–73, by way of mal slide positions or intermediate slide positions (indicated by a a preface to the present piece.) roman numeral accompanied by an arrow pointing either up or My agricologies series has expanded beyond the down), and thirds of tones using either the 7th partial in normal slide positions or intermediate slide positions. Elsewhere, respect viol and string quartet books originally conceived any ‘normal’ slide positions given. At bar 17, the three circled letters to include other instrument types and combina- A, B and C denote different slide positions, which should each be tions. Agricola ixb forms part of a constellation of played at three distinct dynamic levels: A—I (normal dynamic level related settings for solo wind instruments, reinter- in relation to the rest of the piece), B—III (louder), C—V (softer). preting the materials from which Agricola ix (for Articulation At bar 17, the single downward stem denotes lightly accented tonguing, not coinciding with a change of slide. small Renaissance chamber ensemble) is derived. Pauses These occur between segments (indicated as follows), These are taken from the opening phrases of the and may be lengthened proportionally if warranted by a resonant three upper voices of Je n’ay dueil que je ne suis acoustic: morte, Ockeghem’s four-voice rondeau. The piece is ’ = 5–6 seconds ” = 6–7 secs = 7–8 secs = 8–9 secs therefore the mirror image of Alexander Agricola’s Breathing Circular breathing is preferred; otherwise, a breath within the phrase may be taken at bars 21 and 37 (where indicated own reworking, Je n’ay dueil qui de vous ne viengne, with a [v]). which uses only the opening phrase of the model’s Grace-notes These occur either before a main note (bars 14, 21, lowest voice. In this setting, the material is trans- 24, 31) or as the target-pitch of a glissando (bars 19, 33). In the lat- posed according to three different scales, respec- ter cases they should not be articulated. tively, original intervals, compression into thirds of Singing and playing The intended effect is of finely observed beats resulting from the close spacing of the two sounding parts. tones, and compression into quartertones. To that end, the voice should not overpower the played sound. The piece takes account of the sackbut’s specific NB In bars 34–8, there are no glissandos in the played part. properties, i.e. a more responsive attack and a greater Glissandos These must last for the whole of the specified dura- dynamic range at the lower end of the spectrum tion, and be perfectly linear. Fabrice Fitch is active as both composer and musicologist, and has written numerous articles on the music of Ockeghem and composers of the following generation. His own compositional output com- prises chamber music and works for solo instruments. He currently teaches at the Royal Northern College of Music. [email protected]; fabricefitch.com Early Music, Vol. xli, No. 1 © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. 138 doi:10.1093/em/cat020, available online at www.em.oup.com Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/em/article/41/1/138/353488 by guest on 02 October 2021 Early Music February 2013 139.