«Juego de Pangelinguas»: a source of organ music by José Elías at Montserrat

Not availableNo disponibl

Further Thematic Links with Music in the Alamire Manuscripts

UID/EAT/00693/2013 SFRH/BPD/99889/2014Despite its omission from Petrucci’s printed trilogy of his masses, scholars have rarely doubted the authenticity of Josquin’s Missa Pange lingua. Reckonings of its date of composition to the later years of Josquin’s maturity have been replaced by in particular David Fallows’ suggestion (2009) of one nearer to c.1510 when Josquin was based (from 1504 onwards) in Condé sur l’Escaut. It was widely circulated in northern Europe and Italy (Rome), with the earliest surviving sources dating from c.1515 onwards. Besides questions concerning its historical origins and possible routes of transmission, including to the Alamire scriptorium at an early stage, there are intriguing structural/thematic aspects of the Pange lingua mass that so far appear to have escaped notice. Beginning with the start of the Credo, which is otherwise seemingly based on the hymn melody’s opening contour, close connections can be seen between parts of this mass and parts of a mass by a Flemish composer that survives only in two Alamire choirbooks (copied c.1508/12 onwards). The closeness of these links would seem to indicate that this was no chance connection. However, the chronology of composition of the two masses is not so clear, and it seems possible that the Flemish composer’s mass may even predate Josquin’s. In considering these links and thematic connections this paper aims to contextualise Josquin’s mass and possibly throw further light on its origins and/or early history.publishersversionpublishe

Un cuaderno de música poco conocido de Toledo. Música de Morales, Guerrero, Jorge de Santa María, Alonso Lobo y otros, en el Instituto Español de Musicología (Barcelona), Fondo Reserva, Ms 1

A part-book preserved in the Instituto Español de Musicología, Barcelona, contains over fifty items of sacred music by composers associated with both the Cathedral and the Colegio de los Infantes in Toledo during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. These composers range from Morales and Guerrero, to Francisco de Tapia and Jorge de Santa María—both Masters at the Colegio in the later sixteenth century—and Alonso Lobo, chapelmaster at the cathedral, 1593 to 1603. The majority of the music is unique to this source, and it also includes works by Morales that were revised for publication when he was in Italy. The part-book is very largely copied for second or first superius, and there are indications that much of the repertory was intended for high voices; but there is also the occasional piece for a lower voice part. The manuscript contains a wide range of Latin-texted sacred music that includes mass settings, Magnificats, motets and psalms. In addition to about a dozen items by Morales, the partbook includes rare settings of calendas by Santa Maria, examples of mass propers in contrapunto style by Francisco de Tapia, and a sequence of music for the Christmas Misa del gallo (midnight mass).Dentro del ‘Fondo Reserva’ del antiguo Instituto Español de Musicología de Barcelona, se conserva hoy en día un cuaderno de música que contiene más de cincuenta obras de polifonía sacra de compositores que pueden ponerse en relación con algunas tradiciones musicales propias de la Catedral de Toledo y su Colegio de los Infantes durante el siglo XVI y principios del siglo XVII. Estos compositores van desde Morales y Guerrero a Francisco de Tapia y Jorge de Santa María (ambos maestros en el citado colegio a finales del siglo XVI) e incluso a Alonso Lobo (maestro de capilla de la catedral, de 1593 a 1603). La mayoría de esta música únicamente se ha conservado en esta fuente documental, que incluye también obras de Morales que fueran revisadas para su publicación cuando estaba en Italia. El cuaderno se anota en su mayoría para un tiple segundo, o primero, lo que parecería indicar que estas obras hubieran sido interpretadas por un coro de voces agudas, aunque también aparece ocasionalmente alguna pieza para una parte vocal más grave. El manuscrito contiene una amplia variedad de música sacra con texto en latín, incluyendo misas, Magnificats, motetes y salmos. Además de en torno a una docena de composiciones de Morales, el cuaderno incluye también unas raras musicalizaciones de las calendas de Santa María, ejemplos del proprium missae en estilo contrapunto a cargo de Francisco de Tapia, y una serie de música para la misa del gallo del día de Navidad

The Role of Music and Sound in Outdoor Events and Ceremony at the Court of the Dukes of Braganza in the 16th Century

UID/EAT/00693/2019 CEECIND/02074/2017One of the richest cultural and musical centres in Renaissance Portugal was the court and palace of the Dukes of Braganza in Vila Viçosa. Documentation in the form of chronicles and other contemporary and historical accounts enable us to piece together rich and at once highly colourful soundscapes that entice back to an historical world where distinct ‘stage sets’ complete with details of choreography can be imagined or reconstructed both visually and aurally. From the solo trumpeter at dawn playing his aubade outside the duke’s apartments, to the slave musicians with their shawms, trumpets and drums, in procession or positioned in their splendid livery sporting the duke’s regalia ready to sound their symbolic fanfares, and to other costumed musicians and dancers in the palace square on especially important occasions, the court and town at Vila Viçosa became one of the most vibrant theatrical backdrops for the second most powerful court in 16th-century Portugal. On important festal occasions and state visits, including especially that of the king, João III, music was used both as salutation and ceremonial, and as entertainment and accompaniment to dancing and singing, with such events also dramatically marked by peals of bells and cannon fire. Drawing upon different kinds of contemporary documentation, including the recently studied post-mortem inventory of the fifth Duke of Braganza, D. Teodósio I (d. 1563), besides later historical accounts, this paper will focus especially on the evidently resplendent five-day sequence of events marking the celebration of the royal marriage between the king’s son, the Infante Duarte, and Isabel, sister of D. Teodósio, which took place in Vila Viçosa in April 1537. In this evocative history, the importance of protocol and ceremony that incorporated a closely intertwined and powerful aural and visual spectacle is a dominant aspect. Moreover, music and sound, both outside the town itself and in the terreira do paço in Vila Viçosa, and both inside the palace and the churches, provided aural testimony to the prestigious and indeed symbolic status of the House of Braganza in this royal union.publishersversionpublishe

Ceremonial and musical links, between the courts of D. Manuel and the Catholic Monarchs, 1498

UID/EAT/00693/2013Following the death of D. João II in 1495, D. Manuel was crowned King of Portugal. Two years later he married Isabel of Castile (widow of prince Afonso), resulting in the reigniting of intense musical connections between the Spanish and Portuguese royal courts. The early months of their marriage coincided with the death of Isabel’s brother, prince Juan, heir to the Castilian throne, with the result that they unexpectedly became heirs of the joint Castilian, Aragonese and Portuguese crowns. In March 1498 Manuel and Isabel travelled to Toledo and Zaragoza for the oath-taking ceremonies, taking with them representatives of the royal court along with the capella real and musicians. Four years later, an almost identical ceremony took place in Toledo when the Philip the Handsome and princess Juana were sworn as heirs to the Castilian throne, for which there were also a series of important ceremonies. This extremely significant meeting of the Portuguese court and the courts of Catholic Monarchs in 1498 has been somewhat overlooked and has certainly not entered musicological literature to date. Yet close investigation into accounts of this event and available documentation concerning musicians reveals a number of connections between the courts, some of which are indicative of employment patterns at that time and probable musical exchanges. Further, analysis of biographical data, including of leading Spanish composers such as Francisco de Peñalosa, reveals that this occasion may have been pivotal for subsequent careers of many musicians. This paper outlines this important event, highlighting its musical elements, the connections to be found between Portuguese and Spanish musicians, and the possible ramifications of these encounters.publishersversionpublishe

Thematic Considerations and Questions of Symbolism in Josquin’s Missa de Beata Virgine as Further Revealed Through the Music of Morales

UIDB/00693/2020 UIDP/00693/2020 CEECIND/02074/2017Much has been written about Josquin’s Missa de Beata Virgine and, in what concerns part of this paper, the famous sesquialtera passage in the superius at ‘Qui cum Patre’ in the Credo and the general contrapuntal complexity of this passage is frequently highlighted and commented on. The conceivable raison d’être of this passage, however, may still be open to interpretation. In his Spanish Cathedral Music in the Golden Age (1960), Robert Stevenson proposed that this use of sesquialtera was for symbolic Trinitarian purposes, an interpretation he relates to a similar use of blackened (triple-time) notation in the Christe of Morales’s Missa Mille regretz and in further works by Josquin. This and further aspects of symbolism in the music of Josquin have since been thoroughly explored by Willem Elders, although there exists some hesitancy in embracing the Trinitarian interpretation of the ‘Qui cum Patre’ passage in current musicological literature. Springboarding from a consideration of the thematic and contrapuntal contexts of the sesquialtera passages in both Josquin’s Beata Virgine mass and Morales’s Missa Mille regretz, this paper presents a yet further set of intriguing connections between these and other works by the two composers. Combined with questions of motivic interplay and recall, these involve important structural and compositional decisions that were arguably made for symbolic purposes, serving to underline the meaning (usually Trinitarian or Christological) of the texts being set. In his insightful interpretation and emulation of Josquin, therefore, Morales acts as a vital historical witness for interpreting Josquin’s musical exegesis.publishersversionpublishe

A royal court musician’s library in mid-eighteenth-century Lisbon

UIDB/00693/2020 UIDP/00693/2020 CEECIND/02074/2017Following the devastation of Lisbon caused by the earthquake and tsunami in November 1755, concerted efforts were made to restore the capital to its former status and glory – not only through a massive architectural re-designing and building programme but also through the continuation and encouragement of intellectual and cultural activities. Musically, this was manifest in performances in surviving (and rebuilt) theatres and prominent churches (during mass and other services), with many involving prominent musicians of the royal court of King José I (R 1750-77). Among these was a certain António Ramos de Figueiredo, violinist, theorist and composer, who by all accounts was an intellectual and also bibliophile. An inventory of his substantial library survives as the result of the zealous activities of the Royal Censorship Board instituted by the Marquis of Pombal in the years following the earthquake, in an attempt to control the circulation, printing and readership of books and ideas. This particular Manifesto dos livros is distinguished for its large (and rare) collection of music (theory) books and libretti, the whole constituting an extremely important and rare international collection dating from 1533 onwards. This paper provides an analysis (as far as possible) of this collection, and an appreciation of it in terms of the then current fashions in performance and discourse. It will also attempt to view Figueiredo as an active musician in mid eighteenth-century Lisbon when fashions tended towards Italianate styles and opera – in part led by such prominent composers as David Pérez, who was also employed at the royal court.publishersversionpublishe

Thematic Considerations and Queestions of Symbolism in Josquin’s Missa de Beata Virgine as Further Revealed Through the Music of Morales

UIDB/00693/2020 UIDP/00693/2020 CEECIND/02074/2017Much of course has been written about Josquin’s Missa de Beata Virgine and, in what concerns this paper, the famous sesquialtera passage in the superius at ‘Qui cum Patre’ in the Credo and the general contrapuntal complexity of this passage is frequently highlighted and commented on. The conceivable raison d’être of this passage, however, may still be open to interpretation. In his classic Spanish Cathedral Music in the Golden Age (1960), Robert Stevenson was the first to propose that this use of sesquialtera was for symbolic Trinitarian purposes, an interpretation he relates to a similar use of blackened (triple-time) notation in the Christe of Morales’s Missa Mille regretz and in further works by Josquin. This and further aspects of symbolism in the music of Josquin have since been thoroughly explored by Willem Elders, although there exists some hesitancy in embracing the Trinitarian interpretation of the ‘Qui cum Patre’ passage in current literature. Springboarding from a consideration of the thematic and contrapuntal contexts of the sesquialtera passages in both Josquin’s Beata Virgine mass and Morales’s Missa Mille regretz, this paper presents a yet further set of intriguing connections between these and other works by the two composers. Combined with questions of motivic interplay and recall, these involve important structural and compositional decisions that were evidently made for symbolic purposes, serving to underline the meaning (usually Trinitarian or Christological) of the texts being set. In his insightful interpretation and emulation of Josquin, therefore, Morales acts as a vital historical witness for interpreting Josquin’s musical exegesis.publishersversionpublishe

Literary Evidence for the Circulation of Spanish Songs in Portugal, c.1480-c.1530

UID/EAT/00693/2019 CEECIND/02074/2017Portuguese literary sources abound with references to songs and dances. The genre of ‘citation poem’ included in Garcia de Resende’s poetic anthology, the Cancioneiro Geral (1516), is distinguished for citations of Spanish and other imported art songs, and songs are integral to the plays of Gil Vicente. Many of these correspond with settings in the famous Spanish Colombina and Palace Songbooks. The Portuguese tradition of ‘citation poem’ links closely with that in Spanish anthologies; it also resonates with poetic traditions at the Burgundian court. Indeed, evidence for Molinet’s influence (including a musical parallel) can be seen in the work of Resende. As explored in this paper, tracing songs in Portuguese literature provides important witness to imported cultural influences at the court, especially where actual musical sources no longer survive.publishersversionpublishe