Chris Wardlaw

Western Music Before 1700

In Memoriam: Renaissance Vocal Works Using

Requiem Text Cantus Firmi

According to Robert Chase The years between 1460 and 1470 form a
significant interval in the history or musical Literature. During this time, a
major musical form, the polyphonic requiem mass, enjoyed its most
substantial development. This suggestion of 1460 being the starting point of
this significance is supported by the creation of the first polyphonic requiems
created by Guillaume Dufay and Johannes Ockeghem. There is some debate
as to whose requiem was created first. Because of Dufays residence In
Cambrai France and the visitation of Dufay by prominent composers
associated with the Burgundian school as well as Ockeghem, who is thought
to be the spear header of the second wave of Franco Flemish and by
extension Netherlands composers, it is my opinion that Dufays requiem
came first. Noted that the score for Dufays requiem is lost, and Chase states
that there is no firmly established composition dates for either of their works,
I am merely extrapolating that because Ockeghem was indeed a younger
contemporary of Dufay, that Ockeghem was inexplicably influenced by his
seniors harmony and requiem. If Dufays requiem was recovered, perhaps it
would be discovered that the two of them were in cahoots, and their
requiems would have textual and harmonic parallels.
It is suggested that Ockeghem wrote his famous Missa Pro Defunctis
(the requiem) for the death of King Charles the VII of France or Ockeghems
patron King Louie XI who according to Ronald Cross was obsessed with
death. The perception of this requiems peculiar layout among modern
listeners is perhaps because of its compositional date being before the
standardization of requiem mass by the Council of Trent in 1570. It is also
worth noting that because of the lack of a communion, sanctus or agnus dei
in the manuscript contained within the Chigi Codex, that some scholars
(according to grove music) believe that these sections have been lost. There
is debate however in that famous musicologist and Jewish composer Dragen
Plamenac has suggested that they may have never been written at all. Missa
Pro Defunctis contains in order; Introitus, Kyrie, Graduale: Si Ambulem,
Tractus: Sicut Cervus and Offertorium: Domine Jesu Christe. Because Missa
Pro Defunctis is a paraphrase mass meaning it is a polyphonic mass in which
each movement is based on the same monophonic melody, normally a

chant, which is borrowed and used in most or all voices rather than being
used as a cantus firmus in one voice. Scholar Ronald Cross discovered that
the melodies for the Introitus, Kyrie and Offertorium are lifted from melodies
found in the Liber Usualis, a text which contains 1900 pages of the Gregorian
chants most often used in all forms of catholic mass, including requiems.
Attached to this paper are the melodies used in the previously said sections
as well as the score of those requiem movements.
The purpose of the requiem is to commemorate one who has died or
the anniversary of their death. Chase says that the rapid growth in popularity
of the requiem was correlated to the new belief that offering prayers (thus
masses) for souls in purgatory was the best way to assist souls on their way
to heaven. One might think of the harmony as the vehicle for the requiem
text to travel by in order to reach its destination, the ears of whom have
departed. Some of the texts are derived from the bible, while others are
derived from liturgical rites, poems and traditional catholic mantras such as
the Agnus Dei. The layout that was standardized by the Council of Trent in
1570 is as follows; Introit, Kyrie, Graduale, Tract, Sequence Hymn (Dies Irae),
Offertory, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Communion, Librera Me and sometimes the In
Paradisum.
The majority of requiem works do not contain all of the pieces outlined
by the Council of Trent. In fact, composers took liberties with the form
frequently, either omitting movements or inserting different tracts or
sequence texts. An example of the omission of the tract and sequence hymn
entirely would be Eustache Du Caurroys fantastic Missa Pro Defunctis.
According to Chase, this requiem for five voices (SATbarB) had its first
performance date in 1606 at the funeral for Henri IV. It remained the
official requiem that was performed at services of deceased French
Monarchs. Du Carroy has only a handful of published works and his music is
underperformed, however his requiem is beautiful and distinctly Parisian in
its omission of the Requiem Aeternum text. Instead Du Carroy uses the Si
Ambulem and Virga Tua texts. The Si Ambulem and Virga Tua text is as
follows, untranslated than translated; Si ambulem in medio umbrae mortis.
non timebo mala: quoniam tu mecum es, Domine. Virga tua et baculus tuus,
ipsa me consolata sunt. If I walk in the shadow of death, I will fear no ill: for
you are with me, O Lord. Your rod and staff comfort me.