The Classical Music Book

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harder by writing canonic voices

that moved at different speeds from

the original. The tour de force here

is Johannes Ockeghem’s Missa

prolationum, in which each of

the four movements of the Mass

explores a different canonic

scenario. The interval separating

the voices of the canon becomes

progressively longer in each

consecutive movement

Josquin Desprez’s Missa

l’homme armé super voces

musicales provides only one

line of music for an elegant and

varied three-voice setting of the

second repeat of the Agnus Dei.

The result of three voices singing

polyphony woven from a single

melody sung at different speeds is

extraordinary for its audacity, but

the emphasis is not on easily

discernible words.

An official response

The Catholic Church dealt with the

mounting crisis precipitated by

Luther’s reforms with a series

of meetings to decide what the

official response should be. After

many delays, the Council convened

in the town of Trent in northern

Italy in 1545. By the time of the

final meeting (1562–1563) overseen

by Pope Pius IV, positions had

reached a deadlock, and it was

clear that reconciliation between

Rome and the Reformers would

be impossible.

Yet the Protestant reforms had

forced the Roman Catholic Church

to introduce changes to doctrine

and practice, which included

purifying its sacred music. In 1562,

a resolution of the Council of Trent

laid down guidelines for musicians.

This stated: “All things should

indeed be so ordered that the

Masses, whether they be celebrated

with chant or chorally, may reach

the ears of listeners and gently

penetrate their hearts, when

everything is executed clearly and

at the right speed. In the case of

those Masses, which are celebrated

SIMPLIFICATION OF POLYPHONY

with polyphony and with organ,

let nothing profane be intermingled,

but only hymns and divine praises.”

Composers needed to respond to

this new directive.

Enhancing the words

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

had published his first book of

Masses in 1554 and had returned

to Santa Maria Maggiore, where

he had first served as a choirboy, as

maestro di cappella (music director)

in 1561. The story runs that he

anticipated complete papal

censure. Fearing the reduction

of music in Catholic liturgy to

plainchant alone (a reform a few

zealots had called for), he stood

ready with a Mass in four voices to

demonstrate that polyphony could

serve the text in a way that would

please even the harshest critics.

The Missa Papae Marcelli does

appear to date from 1562, the

year of the Council’s resolution

concerning music. It is said that

the cardinals found this Mass

especially pleasing, approval that

gave Palestrina status as the savior

of polyphony. It seems, in fact, that

the Mass was probably written for

Holy Week and complied with Pope

Marcellus II’s desire for a restrained

setting that could be clearly

understood in mind.

Musical textures

Homophony

Melody supported by chordal

harmony and solid bass in the

same rhythm. Often used in

the singing of hymns.

Monophony

Sung by a single singer

or single choir in unison.

Examples include plainchant

and most troubadour songs.

Polyphony

Several parts, which are

independent and of equal

importance. Forms include the

canon, fugue, and motet.

Degrees of

complexity

Renaissance

composers, aided

by more precise

notation methods

and encouraged

by wealthy

patrons, produced

increasingly

multilayered music.

The Renaissance fostered the

growth of personality, an idea

fundamentally opposed to the

selflessness and objectivity

of the old polyphony.

Zoë Kendrick

Biographer of Palestrina

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