An even more ambitious tour de force is the one whose beginning is shown in Ex. 13-16b, by Martini,
found in the same Florentine manuscript. It consists of the original structural pair, the treble and tenor
together, with their many intricate imitations and motivic interrelationships, accompanied by a new
contratenor that runs against itself in strict canon at the unison, at a mere minim’s time lag. Needless to
say, the original notation is in only three parts with a rubric denoting the canon, so that the piece turns into
a tour de force for the reading musicians as well as the composer. There is another bizarre canonic
arrangement of precisely this kind by Josquin, based on the superius and tenor of that other great hit, De
tous biens plaine. Obviously, the two pieces represent a sort of informal competition (“If you can do it on
De tous, I’lldoiton J’ay pris!”) between friendly rivals.
EX. 13-16A Henricus Isaac, J’ay pris amours, mm. 1–13