maneuver that had distinguished it. That maneuver had been cantus-firmus transposition; but where
Ockeghem had been content to make a single transposition of the cantus firmus, bringing it down an octave
so that it became the de facto bassus of his Mass, Obrecht transposes it to five different pitch levels (one
for each major section of the Mass) and has it migrate through the entire four-part texture. In the Kyrie it is
located in the traditional tenor at its original pitch. In the Gloria, as can be seen in Ex. 12-9c, it is
transposed up an octave to become the superius. In the Credo it is back in the tenor, but a fifth lower than
before, so that it ends on C, the final of the Mass. In the Sanctus it is transposed an octave higher than the
Credo pitch and is found in the altus. Finally, in the Agnus Dei, it is pitched an octave below its original
pitch and placed in the bassus, so that Obrecht’s Mass ends with a direct nod at Ockeghem’s.
EX. 12-9C Jacobus Obrecht, Missa Caput, Gloria, mm. 17–23Within this highly conscious and deliberate continuity of tradition, however, there is a considerable
transformation of style. Obrecht’s preference is for a very active rhythmic texture, full of melodic
sequences and syncopations, which contrasts markedly with the stateliness of the cantus firmus and
emphasizes its emblematic status. A spectacular example are the bristly strettos that go off like sonic
sparklers under the long-held final note of the cantus firmus at the end of the gloria (Ex. 12-9d).
EX. 12-9D Jacobus Obrecht, Missa Caput, Gloria, mm. 213–end