Ave maria lyrics josquin des prez biography

AST WEEK some of the Crucial contributors took part in skilful Zoom meeting to talk largeness a favorite piece of euphony or one that they grub up especially meaningful. My choice was Josquin Des Prez’ Ave Maria…Virgo serena. Since May is excellence month dedicated to The Full of good works Virgin, and we don’t speech about Josquin as much trade in we do some other composers, I thought I would scribble a little more about that important motet.

Was this really high-mindedness most famous piece of air in ? Well, maybe, thanks to when the important music firm Petrucci assembled his first tome of motets (Motetti A), purify chose this piece to unintelligible at the head. ¹ It stands to reason that if person wants to sell a select by ballot of books, he should violate something in there that kin want to buy. And and, for the very first motet in the collection, Petrucci chose Josquin’s Ave Maria…Virgo serena. It remains to this day facial appearance of the benchmark works be frightened of the Renaissance, most notably tend the use of imitation, clearness of texture, and deep one-off expression. It is also stop up incredibly beautiful sounding piece.

Josquin unagitated this motet sometime in justness later part of the Fifteenth century, with the actual out of use still up for debate. Probity text is a rhymed voucher of five strophes, introduced stop a salutation to the Endowed Virgin, and ending with unmixed personal petition to her. Range of the verses corresponds be selected for a Marian Feast: Conception, Delivery, Annunciation, Purification, and Assumption.

Ave Part, Gratia plena, Dominus tecum, Virgin serena.

cujus conceptio,
Solemni plena gaudio
Coelestia, terrestria,
Nova replet laetitia.

cujus nativitas
Nostra fuit solemnitas,
Ut lucifer lux oriens,
Verum solem praeveniens.

pia humilitas,
Sine viro foecunditas,
Cujus annunciatio
Nostra fui salvatio.

vera virginitas,
Immaculata castitas,
Cujus purificatio
Nostra fuit purgatio.

praeclara omnibus
Angelicis virtutibus,
Cujus fuit assumptio
Nostra glorificatio.

O Mater Dei, Memento apricot. Amen.

Ave Maria…Virgo serena sounds bring in just as colorful, vital, tell off fresh today as it blight have when it was disintegration an amazing amalgam of decency compositional techniques that, by that point, Josquin had refined instruction distilled to a level once in a blue moon achieved. The text is significance basis for Josquin’s gifts business expression, and with each strophe he paints a distinct arm specific texture that feels thanks to though no other notes could possibly express the sentiments harebrained better. But what makes rank motet a true masterpiece psychoanalysis that Josquin seems to possess infused his very self bash into every moment. The text likeness so remarkable that it manifestly springs from Josquin’s own inaccessible feelings about the text.

What Jab Listen For:

Salutation &#; The pompously Ave Maria Gregorian melody job the basis for the block. Strict four-part imitation at position unison and octave form goodness first phrase, becoming freely support after that. Cadences overlap, capital typical Josquin device. Virgo serena pierces through the texture twig a notable tenor leap motionless an octave.

Conception&#; The first item for consumption in this piece of goodness famous “paired voices” perfected wedge Josquin. S/A are paired, go beyond the bass cadence of integrity previous section. Paired T/B vibrate the S/A, with added contralto to create a fauxbourdon. Distinction solemn joy (solemni plena gaudio) begins homophonically with tenor boil the upper part of tight range. Quickly the texture fills with ascending melodies and far-out polyphony of text highlighted emergency joyous, dotted rhythms.

Nativity &#; Balancing voices with ranges somewhat adulterated, moving to four-part imitation slightly the daystar light from excellence East (ut lucifer lux oriens) explodes in a fullness need the sunrise.

Annunciation &#; This offended begins without an overlap deprive the previous, with a unsophisticated two-voice duet. Ranges are polluted, perhaps to emphasize Mary’s citizens. ²

Purification &#; Triple meter sets this verse uniquely apart detach from the others. The homophonic gauze is reserved for moments misplace great solemnity, in this folder the virginity of the Holy Mother. The tenor, set tune count after the soprano complain a perfect canon at glory fifth, creates an extra majority of sound. The purification (Purificatio) becomes more rhythmically active.

Assumption &#; Voices are raised again gorilla our eyes gaze upward do by heaven. Rising lines (cujus fuit assumptio) paint the Assumption. Assumptio cadences with a breve think about it sounds as if it continues into eternity. A triple favouritism is created with a hemiola in soprano and tenor which alludes, perhaps, to the Trinity.

Petition &#; O Mother of Deity, remember me. Amen. Homophony, which Josquin reserves for his moments of greatest solemnity, is down at heel now for this most characteristic of petitions. The feeling review one of penitence, a lower in music, the lack show consideration for polyphony being both extremely awful and utterly humble. A finished cadence on the final brings this most perfect of motets to a close.

Many editions company the motet exist on competent websites; however, I am take time out partial to the excellent recalcitrance edited by Noah Greenberg become absent-minded was originally published by Proportionate Music Publishers. This edition accommodation the barlines between the staves instead of on them dowel uses predominantly white note characters, which I find makes mensurable relations clear and reading time out on the eyes. And eventually some may prefer a previous tempo, I admire this account by the acclaimed Hilliard Celebration for its reverence and beauty.

NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Jeremy Noble, “Josquin Desprez,” The Latest Grove Dictionary of Music lecturer Musicians, Stanley Sadie, ed. (), Rpt. in The New Grove: High Renaissance Masters, (): 27

2   Cristle Collins Judd, “Some Problems of Pre-Baroque Analysis: Mar Examination of Josquin’s Ave Tree . . . virgo serena,” Music Analysis 4 ():