Chapter Josquin s Music for Vihuela: Adaptation, Imitation, and Emulation I. The Ideal Model: Josquin as Pedagogue Again, in this branch of study I want Cicero to be first and foremost, not the only one, and I do not think that one should only follow him, but rather imitate him and even emulate him. For the follower walks in the footsteps of another and is a slave to his model. Furthermore, it has been well said that a person who places his foot in the footstep of another cannot walk well, and no one can ever swim well who does not dare to throw away the life preserver. An imitator, however, desires to say not so much the same things as similar ones- in fact sometimes not even similar, but rather equal things. But the emulator strives to speak better, if he can. Desiderius Erasmus, Dialogus Ciceronianus (Basel, 8) The study of history is often driven by our recognition that the successes of the past provide the benchmarks for the present. Renaissance humanists such as Desiderius Erasmus (66-6) turned to the classical treatises of Quintillian and Cicero, proposing that scholars and orators should read through the whole of ancient literature, copying and memorizing relevant passages for immediate recall as need arose or opportunity allowed. While the literary arts suffered no lack of classical models, access to music of the past was relatively limited before the advent of print. The rapid expansion of this new technology during the sixteenth century and of which Josquin was its first main beneficiary accomplished more than just making Josquin s music more accessible; it gave Renaissance musicians a tangible connection Quoted in G.W. Pigman III, Versions of Imitation in the Renaissance, Renaissance Quarterly / (Spring, 98),.
6 with an illustrious past, and provided a universal standard against which new works were measured. By the time vihuelists began setting his music to tablatures, Josquin had already achieved canonical status in Renaissance music treatises. In his Dodecachordon, Glarean describes Josquin as a Vergil in his field ; in Johann Ott s Novum et insigne opus musicum (Nuremburg, ), he is described as divine and matchless ; and in Cosimo Bartoli s Ragionamenti Accademici (Venice, 6) Josquin is compared with Michelangelo and held up as a model for composers such as Mouton, Brumel, Isaac, Silva, Agricola, Cara, and others who, following in Josquin s footsteps, have taught the world how music ought to be written. But the most significant music treatise in sixteenth- century Spain is the Declaración de instrumentos musicales (Osuna, ) by Juan Bermudo (c.- c.6), which places Josquin foremost among foreign composers of music. Born into a wealthy family, Bermudo studied music in his youth before taking up vows with the Franciscan Order around, but returned to music after illness prevented him from religious service. Judging by his introductory remarks, the Declaraćion was intended as a tutor for a wide range of players and singers: Seeing that I could not serve because I lacked strength, and so I could not be idle, I set out to read books of music. On the one hand conscience and on the other hand the words of God s servants persuaded me to write. My guilt would be great if, knowing the deficiencies that some ecclesiastics have, I did not set On the significance of print on Josquin s reputation, see Owens, Music Historiography and the Definition of Renaissance, Notes, / (99), -. For a contemporary summary of Josquin s reputation, see James Haar, Cosimo Bartoli on Music, in The Science and Art of Renaissance Music, ed. Paul Corneilson (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 998), 8-. Quoted in Owens, Op. cit., 8-.
forth music written by the serious doctors in a language that could be understood by all. Chapters - 86 of the Declaraćion are devoted exclusively to the vihuela and concerned specifically with repertory and tuning, both of which were, in Bermudo s view, plagued by barbarisms. For Bermudo, the choice of an appropriate model was paramount in the formation of the player s development. The vihuelist would begin with two- and three- part homophonic villancicos which, although easy to intabulate should be quickly dispensed with because they do not have a good enough foundation in music to edify and cultivate the good habit of fantasy [playing]. After working his way through the more contrapuntally sophisticated villancicos of Juan Vazquez (c.- 6) and Baltasar Téllez (fl. 9?), the vihuelist was ready for music worthy of serious study, namely that of Josquin: 6 In the Masses of Cristobal Morales, you will find much music to intabulate, with so many and such good qualities that I lack the words to describe them. The person who applies himself to this music not only becomes wiser, but devout as well. You will find few composers who render so well the characteristics and variety of the text For good foreign music to intabulate, do not forget the music of the great musician Josquin, [with which] music began. The last thing you should intabulate is the music of the excellent Gombert. It is difficult to play on the vihuela, because it is [so] spread out, thus I place it at the end. Players are often guilty of wanting to play fantasias when they are just learning to play. Even though they may know counterpoint, unless [this counterpoint] is as good as the abovementioned musicians, they should not play fantasias too soon, so as not to form bad habits. Dawn Astrid Espinosa, Juan Bermudo On Playing the Vihuela ( De tañer vihuela ) from Declaración de instrumentos musicales (Osuna, ), Journal of the Lute Society of America, 8-9 (99-96), ii. Ibid., 6. 6 A collection of works based on Bermudo s guidelines, along with analysis, commentary, facsimiles and transcription is found in John Griffiths, Tañer vihuela segn Juan Bermudo. Polifonía vocal y tabulaturas instrumentales, nd edition (Saragosa: Institución Fernando el Católico, ). Espinosa, Juan Bermudo, 6-6.
It is important to remember that Renaissance musicians learned composition 8 primarily through observation and assimilation, a point that is made clear in Bermudo s closing remarks, and which fuels his exhaustive description of intabulation procedures. 8 While numerous treatises informed singers and players on a wide range of theoretical guidelines and performance issues the handling of dissonance, modal theory, meter, tempo, ornamentation, etc. none constituted anything close to what we might think of as a composition manual. 9 The activity of intabulation, on the other hand, obligated the intabulator to undertake an in- depth analysis of authoritative works, which offered valuable insights into the compositional process of acknowledged masters, and led, ultimately, to their use as models. Unfortunately, the scarcity of vihuela manuscript sources makes it difficult to gauge how frequently amateurs made their own intabulations, although a manuscript addendum contained in the Biblioteca Nacional Madrid R. 8 exemplar of Sliva de sirenas suggests that it was not uncommon (see Plate.). Beyond their potential as compositional models, intabulations offered players both an extensive repertory that could be arranged in various ways, and a wide range of instrumental challenges to overcome. While the prefaces of vihuela books assured consumers of their suitability for self- taught beginners, sixteenth- century collections 8 It is also echoed by Thomas de Sancta Maria, who advises students to draw benefit from the intabulation of vocal works by making note of features such as points of entry, imitation, ornamentation at cadences, the handling of dissonances, and the use of variation. See Howell and Hultberg, The Art of Playing the Fantasia, - 6, discussed in Ward, The Vihuela de Mano, - 6. 9 Howard Mayer Brown, Emulation, Competition, and Homage: Imitation and Theories of Imitation in the Renaissance, Journal of the American Musicological Society, / (Spring, 98), -. See John Griffiths, Juan Bermudo, Self- instruction, and the Amateur Instrumentalist, in Music Education in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, ed. Susan Forscher Weiss, Russell E. Murray, and Cynthia J. Cyrus (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, ), -.
Plate.: Silva de sirenas, manuscript addendum (detail) 9 share little in common with the step- by- step self- instruction method books of today, and neophyte vihuelists may well have greeted their acquisitions with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Fuenllana, it seems, expected as much, and offered the following advice: anyone can play it well, if he truly wishes to work and is proficient in the preceding, since everything was tried out many times on the vihuela before being notated on paper. And there is nothing in this book which was not first written down and played, before being notated. Having this certainty, I was bold enough to present the difficulties herein contained... And if someone should encounter some difficulty, believing that I go beyond the limits of possibility, I request such a person to use the time he might lose in doubting in study; and in this way, giving himself in fact to study, I am sure he will attain the desired goal. Concessions to beginners went beyond simple lip- service, however, and resourceful amateurs could extract a wealth of material. Many Josquin intabulations were set Images from Arriaga, Gonzales, and Somoza. Libros de msica para vihuela (CD- rom). Quoted in Jacobs, Miguel de Fuenllana, lxxxvi.
using double- impression colored printing, with red ink isolating the tenor and providing a point of entry for beginners before progressing to more difficult works. More importantly, it reflected an approach to pedagogy that engaged players in both the technical and theoretical aspects of music- making that were otherwise sidestepped through the convenience of purchased intabulations. II. Ideology in Practice: Literal Transcriptions and the Problem with Pisador Despite the high esteem in which Josquin was held in Spain, only a fraction of Josquin s music was chosen to be intabulated, and the very qualities that made it attractive to amateurs and viable on paper might also be the most difficult to convey on the instrument. The preference for four- voice textures, for instance, was surely due to the fact that the relatively narrow range and simple triadic harmonies of many vocal works reflected conventional chordal shapes inherited from more idiomatic pieces such as romance accompaniments and their offspring, the diferençia. In fact, much of Josquin s music could be placed on the lower positions of the vihuela, avoiding extended periods of upper position playing, although such concessions to instrumental difficulties often meant an over- simplification of Josquin s musical text. Pisador s setting of the Kyrie from the Missa Ad fugam is one of his more successful intabulations and warrants discussion (see Figure.). Confined to the lowest positions of fingerboard, the vihuelist never exceeds the fifth fret. Open courses are used wherever possible, resulting in chord shapes that sound well on the instrument and are easily played. In fact, his practice coincides precisely with Bermudo s recommendation for beginners to: On the development of the diferençia in Spain, see Ward, The Vihuela de mano, 9-.
place the work so that it goes up to the fifth fret of the first string, and if necessary, to the sixth or seventh fret. If one wants to play good music easily, it should not go beyond the seventh fret of the first string, if possible, although [in so doing] one may forfeit the praises of the public. Common people do not praise the [good] player, but one who plays all [over] the frets [The beginner] should place the music that he wants to intabulate so that it is on the best strings, and there are as many strokes on open strings as possible (because it is easier for the left hand) and that the intabulation should not separate the frets so much that the hand cannot reach them Superius Altus Tenor Bassus Vihuela Figure.: Missa Ad fugam: Kyrie (Josquin/Pisador) &b w w w Ï Ï w & b Ky w. Ï ri ee w le w îe & b w w w?b w w bw w w Ky ri Ky ri e, e Ky ri e w. Ï Ï & b. Ï w î & b & b Ï Ï w w w w & b *?b î # w b w?b Espinosa, Juan e Bermudo, le 6. i- son, An explanation of the tablature transcription and critical apparatus can be found in Chapter. Critical Report le i son, e le i ee le i son, e le Ï Ï Pisador:
&b w w w w son, e le i son, & b. Ï w î & b & b Ï Ï w w w w & b *?b î # w b w?b le i son, e le i ee le i son, e le e le i- son, Ï Ï Pisador: Otra missa de Iusquin de la fuga. kirie. w w w Ï Ï &b & b w w. Ï w w w & b & b w w w & b?b w w w w bw w w?b &b &b kirie.myr / Wednesday, November,, :: e le & b son, e le i son, & b i son, e le?b e le Ossia (preferrable):. Ï Ï C Ossia (preferrable): w Ï Ï # w w & b î. Ï w w w & b w Ï Ï w w w &b i son, e le i son. e le i son. i son.
w Ï Ï # w w & b î. Ï w w w & b w Ï Ï w w w?b w w w w w w &b i son, e le i son. e le i son. i i son. son. Ï W In addition to providing an accurate representation of Josquin s harmonies, Pisador uses open courses to signal points of imitation between voices, such as the kirie.myr / Wednesday, November,, :: dialogue between superius and tenor in mm. - 9, the suspensions in altus and bassus mm. -, and the closing suspension shared by superius and tenor in 6ths, mm. -. Here, the use of open courses helps preserve the durational values of the original, and Pisador s ability to strike a balance between instrumental expedience and an effective rendering of the model is commendable. As successful as Pisador s intabulation is, however, it also demonstrates several of his inadequacies. In m., for example, the altus and tenor are printed on the wrong courses, and while the consonance of the resulting harmony (f- a instead of a- d) may explain Pisador s oversight in this particular instance, the frequency with which similar lapses occur elsewhere is puzzling. No less than twenty- three such errors, along with over a hundred others, occur in his intabulation of Missa Faysant regretz
alone, many of which are so blatant that one is forced to wonder whether Pisador bothered to proof his scores at all. While Pisador s editorial shortcomings may be frustrating, it is his adherence to conventional intabulation methods of his day those described by Bermudo for the benefit of beginners that introduces greater problems in realizing Josquin s music: Pisador is conciliatory to a fault. In deferring to expedience, Pisador s rule- of- thumb use of open strings comes at the expense of clarity and consistency. In mm.-, for example, his avoidance of a third- position barré chord (using a single finger to stop multiple courses) distorts the voice leading by placing the tenor and superius on the same course, obscuring their imitation from mm.- 6. A similar situation can be found in mm.9-, where he misses the opportunity to hold the same chord shape for both measures and prevent a break in the flow of sound. Here and elsewhere, Pisador s fingerings tend to expedite a legato performance of the superius only, with lower voices receiving secondary consideration. 6 Equally puzzling is Pisador s inconsistent treatment of unisons. Again, Pisador s practice reflects Bermudo s pragmatic, if somewhat convoluted, recommendations: Having placed the music in the score, see if any of the notes are unisons in two [of the] parts, that is, whether they have the same note name. Arrange them (if possible) so that both are on [one] open string, because if one is placed on an open string, the other will be placed on the lower string at the fret that forms a unison with the upper string. This will be the fourth or fifth fret, as has already been explained. However, Bermudo soon qualifies his suggestion: 6 On the transformation of these works from contrapuntal vocal works to their reception as homophonic songs, see Jürgen Heidrich, Vokal Gattungen in der Vihuela- Musiks des 6. Jahrhunderts - Intavolierungen von Messensatzen Josquins in Miguel de Fuenllanas Orphenica Lyra, in Trossinger Jahrbuch fur Renaissancemusik (): - 6. Espinosa, Juan Bermudo, 6.
If these notes cannot be placed on an open string, and the player cannot reach [a distance of] five frets (where necessary) to play both [notes], put them in one place, as the organ does. 8 One of the advantages of stringed instruments over single- manual keyboards is their ability to play the same note in different locations on the neck, resulting in variations in timbre that in a polyphonic setting can be useful in helping listeners decipher the counterpoint, particularly when parts are in close quarters. The first vihuela intabulation to exploit this is Narvaez s Sanctus setting from Josquin s Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie. Narvaez s decision to intabulate for a vihuela with an assumed tuning of G permits him to place unisons between the superius and altus on different courses and provides greater separation between the parts. In Pisador s intabulation for vihuela in E an odd choice resulting in long periods of upper position playing throughout the Mass and no notes below the third fret of the lowest course- the superius and altus are of necessity placed on one course, rendering them indistinguishable (see Figure.). Here, Pisador s choice of tuning impedes playability and impairs clarity, ultimately resulting in a chord spanning eight frets, a reach that even the most adept player would be hard- pressed to manage. 9 Pisador is handcuffed by his choice, and the end result is a representation of Josquin that is inconsistent, unclear, and even at times, unplayable. 8 Op. cit. 9 Vihuelists employed an approach to transposition in which the intabulator selected an imaginary tuning to best accommodate the range of the vocal model, transcribing the instrument rather than the music and effectively bypassing transposition of the mode. For an overview, see Howard Mayer Brown, Changing the Instrument for the Music, Journal of the Lute Society of America (98), - 9, and Griffiths, The vihuela: performance practice, style, and context, 6-. The unplayable section in Pisador s intabulation can be found in measure.
6 Superius Altus Tenor Bassus Figure.: Excerpt: Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie: Sanctus (Josquin/Narvaez/Pisador) &b î Ï Ï Ï Ï w & b w w w Her Sanc tus, Narvaez: # & b?b î Sanc Ï cu Pisador Ï Narvaez On other occasions, however, Pisador s intabulations demonstrate a level of ingenuity equaling his contemporaries. In his intabulation of the Missa Faysant regretz: Qui tolis (mm. and ), for example, his handling of a passage similar to the previous example coincides with Mudarra s solution. Unfortunately, when a similar problem presents itself in measures 6-6, it goes unrecognized (see Figure.) To be sure, Pisador s intabulations of Josquin represent the most comprehensive collection of its kind in the history of Renaissance music, and they are all the more remarkable for the fact that they represent the work of an amateur. Despite frequent errors and inconsistencies, Pisador manages to preserve Josquin s music intact and
virtually unchanged. Ironically, it is his insistence to remain faithful to the original that results in a rendering that is often unsatisfying, and, not surprisingly, seldom heard. Figure.: Excerpt: Missa Faysant regretz: Qui tolis (Josquin/Mudarra/Pisador) Superius Altus Tenor Bassus Pisador Mudarra Superius Altus Tenor Bassus &b Ï Ï Ï Ï w w & b Ï # Ï Ï Ï & b î mi?b î Ï ram pa tris, Ï pa tris, mi &b w w î 9 & b î. Ï Ï Ï [Quo ni am tu so bis. [Quo ni am & b w w?b bis. Ex... Qui tollis excerpts.myr / Monday, September,, :: Pisador Ï Mudarra Ï mi
8 III. Overcoming Instrumental Limitations: The Sixteenth- Century Cutting- Room Floor Placing Josquin s music on the vihuela was often complicated, necessitating many adaptations of the original model. Even after the intabulator succeeded in translating notes to tablature, the musical text was often altered by the delineation of counterpoint, the relative uniformity of the instrument s timbre, and the absence of diction and spatial cues, to say nothing of the requisites of physical execution. Consequently, intabulation was more than a simple act of transferring a mensural score to tablature, but a process in which Josquin was of necessity subject to interpretation, adaptation, and revision. One solution was to create an arrangement for voice with vihuela accompaniment, placing the vocal part scored in mensural notation directly above the tablature, such as in Fuenllana s setting of Josquin s five- voice Credo from the Missa De beata virgine (see Plate.). Here, Fuenllana indicates that the work can be performed for dos voces (una en notación mensural y otra en cifra) y vihuela, and the vihuelist could choose to play the ciphered vocal part (in this case the Bassus, notated in red ink), sing it, or double it. The same approach is possible for the numerous intabulations on a single score for vihuela and voice en cifra, and it is not unlikely that the vocal part could have been performed by another instrumentalist reading from the same tablature. Even clearer evidence of ensemble playing can be found in the fourth book of Valderrábano s Silva de sirenas, composed entirely of duets, including intabulations of Josquin mass sections and motets en quinta a seys. Bermudo, who
9 praises Valderrábano s settings, devotes considerable discussion to intabulating for a variety of instrumental configurations. Plate.: Credo de beata virgine Iosquin a cinco (Fuenllana) While duo performance a tradition for performing arrangements of vocal music during the fifteenth century may have been effective in circumventing many difficulties, the preponderance of solos in printed sources suggests that performance on a single instrument was likely the norm. Since strict conformity to the original often distorted the integrity of the voice leading, players were flexible in their adaptations, omitting notes, thinning textures, and transposing or rewriting parts to Bermudo s discussion emphasizes flexibility, and involves ensembles of up to three instruments including bandurrias, guitars, discants, and vihuelas, playing music of up to eight parts. See Espinosa, Juan Bermudo, 8-9, -. Image from Arriaga, Gonzales, and Somoza. Libros de msica para vihuela (CD- rom).
better suit the new idiom. Frequently, revisions are minimal, simply moving or 6 skipping notes already present in another part to avoid repeating them on the same course, or eliminating notes that momentarily dip below another line. When faced with such a situation in the Gloria of the Missa Faysant regretz, Fuenllana s omission of the Altus g in measures 99,, and confines all voices to individual courses, avoiding the potential for confusion inherent in Pisador s literal intabulation (see Figure..). Figure.: Excerpt: Missa Faysant regretz: Gloria (Josquin/Pisador/Fuenllana) Superius Altus Tenor Bassus Pisador Fuenllana &b 99 Fuenllana: & de us, a gnus de i, fi li us pa & b Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï & b ne de us, a gnus de i, fi li?b Ïmi ne de us, Ïa gnus de i, Ïfi li de us, a gnus de i, fi li us pa Other intabulations reveal a tendency towards more extensive revision. When setting the Gloria of Missa Dux Ferrarie, the proximity of the superius and altus in measures 8- obliges Narvaez to gloss both parts (see Figure.). His revision of the superius in measures 8 to 9 confines it to the first two courses of the
Figure.: Excerpt: Missa Dux Ferrarie: Gloria (Josquin/Pisador/Fuenllana) Superius Altus Tenor Bassus Pisador Narvaez 8 Narvaez:. Ï Ï Ï ÏÎ î &. Ï ÏÏ î. Ï ÏÏÏ Ï. Ï ÏÏÏÏ (san ) na, o san na, o san ÏÏÏ Ï Ï Ï Ï. Ï Ï ÏÏ. Narvaez: Ï & î ÏÏ ÏÏ î. Ï ÏÏÏÏ. Ï o san na, o san na, o w Pisador: & w w w w w Dux Fer ra ri- e, Pisador: w? w î w w w Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï na in ex- cel sis, Ï ÏÏj Ï Ï Ï Ï 6 8 6 instrument, and in the following measures he chooses to eliminate it completely rather than cross parts, relying on the presence of the tenor c and the ornamentation of the altus in measure to make up for its absence. Further glossing of the altus in measures and 6 is likely introduced to avoid unisons with the superius. In Ex...myr / Thursday, September,, :: comparison, Pisador s literal intabulation lacks clarity, and the distribution of multiple voices over shared courses in measures 8 to is particularly problematic (the
6 consecutive use of the second course for superius, altus, and tenor in measure is especially unfortunate). In measures and 6, Pisador misses the opportunity to set unisons on different courses, demonstrating the same inconsistency in approach that blemishes his other efforts. Octave displacement was also not unheard of, although the extent to which it is used in Fuenllana s setting of Missa L Homme armé, super voces musicales: Agnus III is unique in Spanish tablature sources. Here, the extremely narrow range of the original often as little as a fifth between outer voices compels Fuenllana to eliminate sections of the tenor voice, and raise the altus from measures to (see Figure.6). Light glossing of the altus and bassus from measures to highlights the imitation between the parts, and fills the void left by the tenor s absence. By contrast, Pisador s literal intabulation dutifully furnishes all of Josquin s notes at the expense of clarity, particularly in measures 9-, where the exchange of thirds between altus, tenor, and bassus cannot be rendered effectively on the instrument. The passage is further marred by errors in measure, where Pisador seems to have misspelled the original harmony completely. In measures,, and the superius has apparently been left out, although it is possible that Pisador may have misread his source and set it as a unison a with the altus, an error that frequently appears in Pisador s intabulations and could explain his inclusion of the tenor f in the final chord. Octave displacement also occurs in mm.- 9, -, - 9, 68-9 altus, mm.- 6, - 9, - 9, -, and, mm. - 8 bassus. Pisador s setting of Missa Faysant regretz contains thirteen similar reading errors involving thirds (see Chapter., Critical Notes). The final chord in the original is without a third.
Superius Altus Tenor Bassus Figure.6: Excerpt: Missa L Homme armé, super voces musicales: Agnus III (Josquin/Pisador/Fuenllana) Pisador Fuenllana Smijers, Fuenllana: w w w w w w w w w w w & pa Fuenllana: ÏÏ w Ï Ï î ÏÏ w î Ï Ï & î b w do na no bis pa cem, do na, do # ÏÏ î w î & Fuenllana: w w & w w w w w w & Ï Smijers, Fuenllana: w w Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï.? î b î. Ï w î w Fuenllana:? Ï Ï no bis, do na no bis, do na, do na no do na no bis pa cem, do na no bis pa cem, do na, Ï Ï Ï 6 Ex..6..myr / Saturday, January,, 6::6
w w w w w w w w w w cem. Ï Ï Ï ÏÏ Î Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï ÏÏ Ï Ï Ï &. Ï w î. Ï Ï Ï # w w &8 î w # w na, do na no bis pa cem. & ÏÏ ÏÏ ÏÏÏÏ w w w? î. ÏÏ w î. Ï w w w Ï do Ïj na, Ï do na no Ï bis pa Wcem. bis pa cem. î Ï Ï Ï ÏÏ w î Ï Ï Ï Ï. Ï. Ï w w w 6 Ïj Ï Ïj Ï Ïj Ï W 6 Clearly, the act of intabulation was a complex process that went beyond a simple conversion from mensural part- books to tablature score. Successful intabulations demanded a clear understanding of the intricacies of the musical text, a knowledge of counterpoint, and the technical limits of the vihuela. The printed collections of Pisador and his contemporaries provided their readers with a representation of Josquin that was accessible, intelligible, and satisfying to play. Imperfections aside, Pisador s Ex..6..myr / Monday, September 9,, :: contribution is extraordinary: it represents a snapshot of Josquin as heard by sixteenth- century Spanish lay audiences and is a testament to his sweeping reputation. Perhaps Pisador s greatest fault is his purism: he lacks the willingness of his contemporaries to compromise his admiration for Josquin with the realities and adaptability of the derived intabulation. Ironically, it is the readiness of his
6 contemporaries to digress from the model that result in depictions of Josquin that are clearer, more consistent, and musically convincing. IV. Intabulations and Unwritten Traditions: Ornamentation The notion of intabulations as a key to unwritten performance practices is not a new concept: since tablature is unambiguous in its rendering of pitch and rhythm, it offers a clear picture of how practicing musicians embellished preexisting works and realized contemporaneous theoretical principals. Thus, intabulations form a crucial link between theoretical observation and practical application. Treatises such as Sylvestro Ganassi s Fontegra (Venice, ) attest to a flourishing improvisatory tradition and offer an overwhelmingly rich repertory of ornamental figures. His manuscript appendix alone includes divisions on one basic clausula form, and is unique in its division of the breve into as many as seven beats, Likewise, Diego Ortiz s Tratado de glosas sobre clausulas (Rome, ) includes some variations on clausula figures and 8 embellishments on simple melodic intervals, reflecting a clear affinity with the ornamental procedures found in vihuela tablatures. 6 The most significant Spanish treatise to address ornamentation is Thomas de Sancta Maria s A wide range of scholars has explored the relationship between intabulations and unwritten performance practice. See, for example, Anthony Newcomb, Unnotated Accidentals in the Music of the Post- Josquin Generation: Mainly on the Example of Gombert s First Book of Motets for Four Voices, in Music in Renaissance Cities and Courts: Studies in Honor of Lewis Lockwood. Ed. Jessie Ann Owens and Anthony M. Cummings (Michigan: Harmonie Park Press, 99), - ; also see Howard Mayer Brown, Embellishment in Early Sixteenth- Century Italian Tabulations, Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association (9-9), 9-8 Peter Hildemarie, ed., Sylvestro Ganassi. Opera Intitulata Fontegra. Venice. A Treatise on the Art of Playing the Recorder and of Free Ornamentation. Dorothy Swainson, trans. (Berlin- Lichterfelde: Robert Lienau, 99). 6 Max Schneider, ed., Diego Ortiz. Tratado de glosas sobre clausulas y otros generous de puntos en la musica de violones. Roma (Kassel: Bärenreiter, 96).
Libro Llamado El Arte de Tañer Fantasia (Valladolid, 6). Clearly the work of a 66 trained professional and an experienced pedagogue, Sancta Maria s book enjoyed widespread circulation, the original contract with the printer Francisco Fernandez de Cordoba specifying a run of copies. 8 While Sancta Maria s discussion of ornamentation is both detailed and pragmatic, it nevertheless falls short of placing embellishments within the context of a piece and, like Ganassi and Ortiz, leaves questions of their contextual deployment largely unanswered. 9 Even the most effusive vihuela intabulations of Josquin rarely display the level of florid ornamentation one might conclude on the basis of treatises alone, and often demonstrate greater reserve than lute intabulations of French, German, or Italian origin. Pisador s application of ornamentation, when present at all, is extremely sparse, his choice of figuration drawn directly from Josquin and reflecting a clear concern for authenticity (see Figure. A ). In fact, Pisador s intabulation of the Missa Faysant regretz appears almost completely unadorned, with the exception of the Credo, where barely a handful of clausula decorate internal cadences. A single ornamental figure of Pisador s own design can be found at measure (see Figure Translated by Howell and Hultberg, The Art of Playing the Fantasia. 8 For the details surrounding the printing of his book, see John Griffiths and Warren E. Hultberg. Santa Maria and the Printing of Instrumental Music in Sixteenth- Century Spain, in Livro de homenagem a Macario Santiago Kastner, Ed. Maria Fernanda Cidrais Rodriguez, Manuel Morais, Rui Veiera Nery (Lisbon: Fundaçao Calouste Gulbenkian, 99), 6-6. 9 For an inventory of ornamental figures in sixteenth- century Spanish vihuela sources and treatises, and a description and comparison of their nomenclature, see Nelly van Ree Bernard, Ornamentation in Sixteenth- Century Iberian Music for Tecla, Harp y Vihuela : Quiebros, Redobles and Glosas, Performance Practice Review, / (Fall 99), -. For a comparison of the ornamental procedures in a variety of international sources, see Walter Aaron Clark, Luis Narvaez and the Intabulation Tradition of Josquin s Mille Regretz, Journal of the Lute Society of America, 6- (99- ), -. Also see Howard Mayer Brown, Accidentals and Ornamentation in Sixteenth- Century Intabulations of Josquin s Motets, in Josquin des Prez. Proceedings of the International Josquin Festival - Conference held at the Julliard School at Lincoln Center in New York City, - June 9. Ed. Edward E. Lowinsky and Bonnie J. Blackburn (London: Oxford University Press, 96),.
Valderrabano (Et incarnatus est: 9B) & Ï # Ï Ï Ï w Ï Ï# Ï Ï w # w A B C Pisador Pisador Mudarra Figure (Credo: S,.6S, A- I : 8S) Cadential Ornaments (Credo: S) in Vihuela Intabulations (Qui tolis: of A) Josquin s Valderrabano Missa Faysant regretz (Et incarnatus est: 9B) 6 & Ï Ï Ï# Ï # Ï Ï ww Ï# Ï Ï # Ï Ïw w Ï# ÏÏÏ # Ï w D A E B F C Fuenllana Pisador Mudarra Pisador Fuenllana Mudarra (Kyrie (Credo: I: S; S, Kyrie 6S, II: S, 8S) A, 9S; (Qui tolis: (Credo: 9A) S) (Kyrie I: (Qui S; tolis: Kyrie A) II: S; Gloria: A*, T*, A*, S, A) Narvaez Gloria: Valderrabano S) (Osana: A) Mudarra (Et incarnatus est: 9B) (Qui tolis: 8A) Ï Ï # w Ï# Ï Ï Ï w Ï# ÏÏÏ Ï w D E F Fuenllana (Kyrie I: S; Kyrie II: S, A, 9S; Gloria: A*, T*, A*, S, A) Mudarra (Qui tolis: 9A) Narvaez (Osana: A) Fuenllana (Kyrie I: S; Kyrie II: S; Gloria: S) Mudarra (Qui tolis: 8A) Ï # ÏÏÏÏÏÏ w # w Ï Ï # w G H I Mudarra (Qui tolis: A) Narvaez (Osana: S, S) Valderrabano (Et incarnatus est: S) Ï # ÏÏÏÏÏÏ w # w Ï Ï # w. B ), and both figures draw attention to Pisador s preference for approaching G H I cadences from a third below. Most often, Pisador makes good on his pledge that everything which is contained Narvaez in this book, I set down Valderrabano with very great (Osana: S, S) diligence and work in order that it might be truthful and (Et have incarnatus great est: S) clarity without a confusion of glosas, so that he who plays may more easily know how the voices go on the vihuela and thus be able to sing them. Mudarra (Qui tolis: A) Ï # ÏÏÏÏÏÏ w # w Ï Ï # w G H I The ornamentation of other vihuelists, though rarely gratuitous, demonstrates greater freedom, with Josquin s original lower- third cadences invariably updated to Mudarra (Qui tolis: A) Narvaez (Osana: S, S) Valderrabano (Et incarnatus est: S) reflect the tastes of their generation. Often, such figures are simplified (see Figure. C ), and all of Pisador s contemporaries prefer subsemitone cadences, regardless of Translated in Ward, The Vihuela da mano, 9.
the level of complexity (see Figures. D- H ). Both internal and final cadences are 68 decorated, but it is often at final cadences where the most elaborate ornamentation can be found (compare, for example, Fuenllana s treatment of internal cadences, Figure. D, with final cadences, Figure. F ). The close of Josquin s Missa Gaudemus: Agnus dei elicited the composition of a short extension from Valderrábano based on the ascending figure which predominates Josquin s original (see Figure.8). Figure.8: Cadential extension of Josquin s Missa Gaudeamus: Agnus dei (Valderrábano) Superius Altus Tenor Bassus Valderrabano # w w Ï Ï w w w Valderrabano... & w w Ï Ï Ï Ï w Ï Ï Ï ÏÏ Ï w w & w î w w î w w? w w w Ï Ï Ï Ï w w w w Ï W &9 In addition to cadential embellishment, elaboration of the model is often as functional as it is decorative, and helps preserve instrumental sonority in slow- moving textures by enlivening the original material. In his setting of the Missa Faysant regretz: Kyrie I and II, for example, Fuenllana anticipates Josquin s vivid melodic figuration of measures (superius) and 8 (superius and altus), matching it Bermudo points out that, If the music according to the old rules had need of glosas because of its heaviness, that of these times does not have the need. Bermudo, Delcaración, fol.8 v, translated in Ward, Ibid, 6-. Gaudeamus coda.myr / Friday, October,, ::
69 first in measure 8 of the altus, and following with similar figuration in the tenor (see Figure.9). Fuenllana, whose preface disparages inordinate glossing of the music of Superius Superius Altus Figure.9: Glossing in Josquin s Missa Faysant regretz: Kyrie (Fuenllana) Altus Tenor Bassus Tenor Bassus Fuenllana Fuenllana &b &b Ï &&b b w b # w w w w w w Ï Ï Ï & b Ï Ï Ï b w b # w w w Ï Ï Ï Ï & b w w w Ï Ï Ï Ï & b & b?b w î w w w w?b?bww î w w w w NJE: C nat. Fuenllana: Ky ri e e... w w (Kyri)e e le Ky Fuenllana: & b î Ï Ï Ï Ï b î Ï Ï Ï Ï & b?b & b w w?b Ïw Ïw Ï Ï (Ky) ri... (Ky)ri (Ky)ri (ky) ri e e... e (elie) (Ky)ri e (Ky)ri 8 Otra missa de Iusquin que va sobre fa re mi re. Chirie. &b e NJE: C nat. w Fuenllana: e... Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï Ky ri e e... (Kyri)e e b Ï Ï Ï Ï (e) (Ky) le ri... (elie) Ky b Ï Ï Ï [8] (e) (Ky)ri (ky) ri e (Ky)ri e 8 Fuenllana: ri... i... ri... i... 8 8 /
others for compromising the integrity of their work, achieves a commendable balance between instrumental necessity and unobtrusive commentary. Superius Altus Tenor Bassus Mudarra Pisador &b Figure.: Florid passagework in Josquin s Missa Faysant regretz: Qui tolis (Mudarra) Mudarra: # Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï ÏbÏ Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï# Ï Ï # Ï Ï Ï Ï w # w w # Ï Ï # w w & b w. Ï w î & b w w w?b w bw bw w re re no bis. re no bis. re no bis. Qui Ï Ïj Ï Ïj Ï re no bis. Ï w Frequently, more extensive glossing serves as a diversion from areas where instrumental limitations preclude a satisfactory rendering of Josquin s music. In Mudarra s setting of the Missa Faysant regretz: Qui tolis, for example, the introduction While Fuenllana discourages the indiscriminate use of ornamentation, he admits its use for both musical and technical reasons: I do not gloss at all times in transcriptions, because I am of the opinion that, with glosses or redoubles, the integrity of the composition is compromised. Thus we see that some, content with their opinion alone, compose anew works placed in their hands, which very fine authors have composed with excellent craft and good spirit, girding them with I don t know what redoubles in conformance with their will. I maintain that if there is no cadence or [other] time when the composition itself allows, one should not, by [this or] another means, defraud the composition with such glosses or redoubles; and as I have said, for the reason here stated, I do not use it [glossing] in the works of this book, save at cadences or in the places demanded by the composition, as will be seen in the works themselves. Fuenllana, Orphénica Lyra, fol. iv v, translated in Jacobs, Miguel Fuenllana, lxxxix.
of florid passagework in measures - is used to cover the exchange of consecutive thirds between altus and tenor whose literal intabulation would otherwise distort Josquin s counterpoint (see Figure.). Mudarra s distribution of similar figures elsewhere in the intabulation coincides with significant points of text and results in a greater sense of cohesion. The decorative ascent of final altus amen is particularly expressive (see Figure.). Figure.: Ornamentation and expression in Josquin s Missa Faysant regretz: Qui tolis (Mudarra) Mudarra & bï ÏÏÏÏÏÏ ÏÏ Ï Ï w w (Tenor) w w w nï Ï Ï# ÏÏÏÏ (Altus) # ÏÏw n Josquin [su sci pe (A ) men.] & b w w w w w w W. su sci pe (A ) men. NJE: b natural V. Unwritten Traditions II: Musica Ficta and Digital Practicalities. While intabulations can offer some of the clearest insights into the unwritten traditions of sixteenth- century musical practices, opinions on the textual value of these works vary considerably, with perhaps the most dismissive found in Lewis Lockwood and James Haar s preface to the New Josquin Edition of Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie: The instrumental intabulations of portions of the Mass found in the publications of Narvaez, de Vaena, Pisador, and Fuenllana are important as later evidence of the widespread reception of the Mass but their value as textual sources for an edition of this or any other vocal work of the period is extremely limited. It is true that their notation is unequivocal with respect to accidentals, but they represent the practices of solo instrumentalists operating within the digital practicalities of their instruments, thus operating on
premises quite different from those that must have governed the judgments about unwritten accidentals in vocal ensembles of Josquin s time. Considering the flexibility exercised by most vihuelists, to say nothing of the frequent inconsistencies and errors that tarnish Pisador s intabulations of Josquin, Lockwood and Haar s skepticism is understandable. An examination of his setting of Kyrie II seems to support the notion that instrumental considerations helped determine ficta practices, where Pisador s use of b- natural for superius and altus in measure may have been motivated to avoid an otherwise ungainly series of left- hand chord changes (see Figure.). Moreover, Pisador s setting dispenses with the Figure.: Excerpt: Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie: Kyrie II (Josquin/Pisador) Superius Altus Tenor Bassus Pisador w bw bw w Ï Ï Ï Ï w & w w w w Î Ï. Ï & w w w w w w &? î b w î b bw î? Ï & NJE: (b) ri e e le i son, le i son, e le Fer ra ri NJE: (b) NJE: (b) ky ri e, ky ri e, ky 6 w 6 6 Reintabulation on NJE: Ï6 6 8 6 6 8 6 8 6 8 Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï w w w & Ï Ï w w w w w & w w w w? w î b w w w & î NJE: (b) e le i son. NJE: (b) Haar and Lockwood, eds., New Josquin Edition. Masses Based on Solmisation Themes (Utrecht: Koninlijke Vereinigung voor Nederlandse Muziekgeschiedenis, ) Vol..,. NJE: (b) i son. e. NJE: (b) ri e e le i son.
Pisador 6 w 6 6 Ï6 6 8 6 8 Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï w w w & Ï Ï w w w w w & w w w w? w î b w w w Ï w & î NJE: (b) e le i son. NJE: (b) NJE: (b) i son. e. ri e e le i son. NJE: (b) Ï w 8 8 6 6 6 6 W formation of a minor ninth between bassus and altus, and a tritone between tenor and superius, clashes that are particularly dissonant when played on the instrument, and ex.. Hercules dux ferrarie kyrie postrero.myr / Monday, September 6,, 6:9:6 the use of b- natural in measures and 8 preserves uniformity. Elsewhere Pisador s interpretation of ficta is clearly idiosyncratic, such as in the following excerpt from Missa Faysant regretz: Et spiritum sanctum. In measure 9, the inclusion of the subsemitone in the superius and secondary subsemitone in the altus, although not unheard of in contemporaneous intabulations, is unusual even by Pisador s standards, as is the clashing augmented fifth between the superius and tenor in measure (see Figure.). Additionally, while chromaticism resulting from the introduction of the subsemitone being applied to only the penultimate note of clausulae appears in intabulations by Fuenllana, Cabezon, and other instrumentalists, Phalèse : see Robert Toft, Aural Images of Lost Traditions. Sharps and Flats in the Sixteenth Century (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 99), 6.
Pisador s introduction of descending chromaticism at the cadence in mm. - is singular. 6 Pisador s intabulation also includes several notes in mm. - 8 that are not easily explained. Might they have been added in the interest of sonority, as occurs elsewhere in his setting of the Mass, or are they errors similar to those already encountered? Superius Altus Tenor Bassus Pisador &b 6 Figure.: Excerpt: Missa Faysant regretz: Et spiritum sanctum (Josquin/Pisador) # # Ï Ï Ï Ï w NJE: # # Ï# ÏnÏ Ï w ex pa tre fi li o que pro ce dit. NJE: & b î # Ï Ï & b ex pa tre fi li o que pro ce w w ex pa tre fi li o que pro ce dit.?b î î Ï Qui cum pa Ï While the eccentricities of Pisador s ficta practices may invite occasional skepticism, Lockwood and Haar s blanket statement is nevertheless problematic, if only for their failure to take into account the biographical details of the vihuelists themselves. For example, the imperial privilege for Seys Libros del Delphin 6 For chromaticism in intabulations, see Toft, Op.cit., - 6. The fleshing out of chords occurs regularly in the intabulations of all vihuelists. Ex.8 Et spiritum sanctum.myr / Monday, September 6,, 6:8:
acknowledges Narvaez as a composer of many masses and psalms and other works that are sung by Our Holy Mother Church, and one who has studied the practice and art of music, both composing works in measured notation for voices as well as in ciphers to be played on the vihuela. 8 It is difficult to imagine Narvaez fulfilling the obligations of his appointment as master of the mochachos cantoricos at the Royal Chapel shortly after the publication of his book without a working knowledge of contemporaneous ficta practices. 9 Likewise, the professional duties of Mudarra, Valderrábano, and Fuenllana all imply an intimate knowledge of vocal practices, an ideal that is universally expressed in the prefaces of their books and that echoes contemporary treatises. The real issue is not one of division between vocal and instrumental practices the very act intabulation is a result of their convergence but rather the degree that instrumental considerations may have impacted ficta practices. The adjustment of notes to accommodate the requirements of musica ficta is, in the overwhelming majority of cases, a relatively simple matter of raising or lowering a finger the distance of a single fret. Although rare instances suggest that instrumental considerations may have colored their decisions, the practices of vihuelists more often reflect those expressed in contemporaneous treatises. In measure 6 of the Kyrie from the Missa Faysant regretz, for example, both Pisador and Fuenllana are in agreement 8 Juan Ruiz Jiminez, Luis de Narvaez and Music Publishing in Sixteenth- Century Spain, Journal of the Lute Society of America 6- (99- ), -. 9 Ibid., 8, n.. The symbiotic relationship between singing and playing and its culmination in the letter stages of the sixteenth century is discussed in Victor Coelho, Raffaello Cavalcanti s Lute Book (9) and the Ideal of Singing and Playing, in Les concert de voix et des instruments a la Renaissance. Ed. Jean- Michel Vaccaro (Paris: CNRS Editions, 99), -.
in their decision to approach an octave between bassus and altus via a major sixth, 6 coinciding with Juan Bermudo s observation that: Whenever we produce an octave, whether it is in a clausula or in passing, approaching it from a sixth, it will be done from a major sixth, which is called perfect and is closer to the octave than the minor sixth. If a major [sixth] occurs in the music, then no remedy is necessary, but if it is minor it is to be remedied in the upper voice with the black key that is mi. Here, the use of c- sharp over c- natural in the altus has no impact on instrumental expedience whatsoever, and is accomplished simply by using another available finger (see Figure.). Figure.: Excerpt: Missa Faysant regretz: Kyrie (Josquin/Pisador/Fuenllana) Altus Bassus & b w b Fuenllana: w Pisador, Fuenllana: c# Ky ri e w Pisador: w Ï Ï Ï Ï?b w w w w î w w Ky ri e e le w Pisador w Fuenllana w Intabulation on NJE In mm. 8-9 of the Et incarnatus est from the same Mass, Pisador and Valderrábano are in agreement on the necessity of subsemitones in both the altus and superius (see Figure.). As before, the interpretation of ficta practices has no Translated in Toft, Aural Images,
impact on the playability of the passage, but is representative of contemporaneous theoretical practice. Echoing remarks made by Ramis de Pereia (8), Tomás de Sancta Maria s Arte de tañer fantasia (Valladolíd, 6) reminds the reader that when any voice forms re ut re, sol fa sol, or la sol la, the ut, fa, and sol are, for the most part, sharped both in the natural and in the accidental [modes]. The explanation and the reason for this is the grace of the solfa and also because they look like clausulae, the sound of which is always sharpened. Again, the intabulations of both vihuelists satisfy the requirements of contemporary theory and are neither advantageous nor detrimental to the execution of the passage. Superius Altus Pisador Valderrabano Intabulation on NJE Figure.: Excerpt: Missa Faysant regretz: Et incarnatus est (Josquin/Pisador/Valderrábano) Ï # Ï Valderrabano &b w î w & b î w î Pisador, Valderrabano: f# Pisador, Valderrabano: c# de spi ri tu sanc to de spi ri tu sanc to ex Ï While the previous examples illustrate situations in which the introduction of ficta notes have no technical impact, what is to be made of instances in which 6 6 6 Ibid.,.
8 subsemitones are introduced despite the player s comfort? In his intabulation of the Missa Faysant regretz: Sanctus, Narvaez s introduction of an f- sharp in measure 9 of the altus necessitates an awkward shift from the upper to lower positions of the instrument (see Figure.6). Had technical expedience been the determining factor, Figure.6: Excerpt: Missa Faysant regretz: Sanctus (Josquin/Pisador/Narvaez) Superius Altus Tenor Bassus Narvaez Pisador Intabulation on NJE w Narvaez 8 &b w. Ï. Ï do mi nus de & b Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï Ï w Narvaez: f# Pisador: b nat. w w w Narvaez nus de us, & b w w w w w w Narvaez?b î w î Ï Ï do mi nus de Ï 6 Ï Ï Ï Narvaez would have likely preferred the f- natural of Pisador and the NJE, since its placement on the open fourth course of the vihuela results in a more fluid and playable solution. While the application of ficta often permits multiple solutions, the dictates of sound theoretical practice clearly supersede instrumental consideration, and contrary to the assertion of Lockwood and Haar, instances where digital Ex...myr / Monday, October,, :8:
9 practicalities have a demonstrable impact on the interpretation of contemporaneous theory are exceedingly rare. VI. Beyond Intabulations: Josquin s Legacy In the brief span of sixteen years separating Narváez s Seys libros del Delphín (8) and Fuenllana s Orphénica Lyra (), the vihuela fantasia underwent a radical transformation in style, prompted largely by the evolving act of intabulation. As John Ward observed: By arranging motets, madrigals and chansons, performers learned composition, and by writing parodies and imitations of the borrowed music they transformed instrumental style the autonomous instrumental idiom of the first two decades was gradually transformed until, by mid- century, the fantasia (or ricercar) had become the instrumental counterpart of the motet. And this development was due, above all, to the intabulation and its progeny the glosa and parody. Given his preeminent role in vihuela tablatures, Josquin s impact on the fantasia is integral: the use of sequence and paired imitation are particularly evident in the fantasias of early vihuelists such as Narvaez and Mudarra, whose preference for transparent imitative textures in their own works are reflected in the selection and handling of Josquin s music in intabulations. Not surprisingly, the kind of music vihuelists chose to intabulate is as different as the vihuelists themselves, and parallels not only changes in sixteenth- century musical tastes and the reception and ultimate decline of Josquin s music, but a gradual transition in the compositional style of The same conclusion can be found in Brown, Accidentals and Ornamentation in Sixteenth- Century Intabulations of Josquin s Motets. A significant recent study of the ficta practices of vihuelists is Sam Dorsey, Vihuela Intabulations of Josquin Masses: An Examination of Musical Texture and Musica Ficta (PhD. diss., Benjamin T. Rome School of Music of the Catholic University of America, 6). Dorsey s discussion leaves Pisador largely untouched. Ward, Borrowed Material, 9-98. This is discussed in detail in Howell, Paired Imitation.
8 instrumentalists from the idiomatic to the conceptual. 6 Therefore, it is only fitting to find an intabulation of Josquin s Credo de beata virgine a cinco by Fuenllana, whose own works tend towards consistently thicker textures with much less regard for instrumental considerations than the generation of Narváez and Mudarra. In short, instrumentalists tended to gravitate toward a version of Josquin that was in line with their own compositional style. Nowhere is the influence of Josquin more apparent than in the glosa and parody fantasia. While the term parody technique may invite a variety of definitions, Ward s description as free (often random) variation of an autonomous thematic complex, or specifically, the spontaneous variation of an authored, polyphonic work providing the opportunity for vertical and horizontal quotation, is particularly apt. In fact, such compositions become more than a nexus for newly inspired material and the quotation or use of motivic, rhythmic, and textural elements of a respected model, but rather a demonstration of compositional dexterity and an appropriation of Josquin s authority. 8 Narvaez s Fantasia [] del primer tono por ge sol re ut is a particularly clever exercise in covert appropriation, opening with a parody of Josquin s Adieu, mes amours and closing with Gombert s Tu pers ton temps. Ironically, Narvaez s fantasia was in turn parodied in a posthumous Le Roy and Ballard publication of Albert de Rippe s Fantasie (Quart livre de tabulature, ), forming a parody of a parody. 9 6 The gradual transition of fantasia composition from the idiomatic to conceptual is convincingly demonstrated in John Griffiths, The Vihuela Fantasia. Ward, Parody Technique, 8. 8 See, for example, Brown, Emulation, Competition, and Homage. 9 Ward, Parody Technique, - and Ward, Borrowed Material, 9.
Other appropriations are less covert, such as the glosas in the second book of 8 Mudarra s Tres libros de msica, the first vihuela publication to contain acknowledged parodies of vocal music. Josquin s style permeates Mudarra s predominantly imitative polyphony, occasionally extending beyond his glosas of Josquin and into the original music that makes up the modally organized suite- like sets forming the second libro. Interestingly, Mudarra s interpretation of glosa corresponds closely with the literary procedure of poetic glosas found in many sixteenth- century cancioneros, in which the poet rewrites another work, beginning the composition with new material and systematically extracting lines from the model to end each new section of verse. In the poetic glosa, the model acts as scaffolding for new material and provides the poet an opportunity to cast the source in a new light. All five of the glosas contained in Mudarra s book follow the poetic format of new material preceding indeed foreshadowing the quotation of Josquin s music, and in some, such as his Kyrie primero de la missa de Beata Virgine de Iosquin glosado, Mudarra s emulation of Josquin s motives, rhythms, and textures result in a seamless integration of the model, eliciting Ward s comment that the skill with which Mudarra matches the borrowed music with his own is extraordinarily deft; the result is neither pure Josquin nor Mudarra, but a pleasing fusion. If not for Mudarra s score Deborah Lawrence, Mudarra s Instrumental Glosas: Imitation and Homage in a Spanish Style, in Encomium musicae: Essays in Honor of Robert J. Snow, ed. David Crawford & Grayson Wagstaff (New York: Pendragon, ), - 8. Ward, The Vihuela de Mano, 9, and Lawrence, Mudarra s Instrumental Glosas, - 6. Mudarra s book contains five glosas, two on Kyrie I and Kyrie II of the Missa De beata virgine, one on Kyrie II of the Missa Pange lingua, one on the Benedictus of Missa La sol fa re mi, and one on the Kyrie I of Févin s Missa Ave Maria, based on Josquin s four- voiced motet. See Lawrence, Op.cit.,9.
indications, separating the two would likely pose problems for all but the most 8 informed listener (see Plate.). Plate. Mudarra, Kyrie primero de la missa de Beata Virgine de Iosquin glosado Libro II, fol. v (excerpt with score indications) As impressive as the manipulation of Josquin s music is, Mudarra s reworking of elements of the model to form motivic links between his set of four primer tono pieces is equally dexterous. Beginning with a brief, improvisatory tiento, Mudarra refashions the superius of Josquin s Kyrie I, drawing upon the model at its most recognizable points of rhythmic interest the cadential figures ending each statement of eleison while reversing the order of their presentation (see figure. a- d). In the pair of fantasias that frame Mudarra s glosa, Josquin s eleison figure serves as material for further elaboration, forming an additional layer of integration (see figure. e, f). Image from Arriaga, Gonzales, and Somoza. Libros de msica para vihuela (CD- rom).