Munich, Milan, and a Marian Motet: Dating Josquin's 'Ave Maria … Virgo serena'

TitleMunich, Milan, and a Marian Motet: Dating Josquin's 'Ave Maria … Virgo serena'
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2003
AuthorsRifkin, Joshua
JournalJournal of the American Musicological Society
Volume56
Issue2
Pagination239-350
Notes

'Vortitel: American institute of musicology\n - dvfilippi'
CiteKey: 
RIFKIN 2003
Zotero link: 
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Content related to this item

Cycle details

Reference source: 
I-Mfd 1, ff. 114v-117r
Cycle rubric: 
-
Identified as a cycle based on: 
WARD 1986, 523 n.56; GASSER 2001, 420-441
Number of voices: 
4
Signature: 
-
Clefs: 
c1c3c4f4
Final: 
A
Devotional / liturgical association: 
BVM, Christ
Modern editions: 
CMM 106.4; AMMM 11, 1-12 (in both cases edited as independent motets)
Discography: 

Compère: Missa Galeazescha: Music for the Duke of Milan, Odhecaton, Paolo Da Col, Arcana-Outhere, 2017 (as independent motets, not consecutively).

Further notes: 

See also information on this cycle as part of the Gaspar van Weerbeke Project.

Content (motets): 
M028 M029 M030

C11 Christi mater ave

Weerbeke, Gaspar van

Cycle details

Reference source: 
I-Mfd 1, ff. 162v-170r
Cycle rubric: 
listed under "Motetti missales consequentes" as "Ave domine Iesu christe | cum reliquis totius misse" (I-Mfd 1, index)
Identified as a cycle based on: 
index of I-Mfd 1 (see Cycle rubric); presence of “loco” rubrics; consensus in the "motetti missales" literature
Number of voices: 
4/4/4/5/4/4/4/5
Signature: 
b
Clefs: 
c1c4c4f4
c1c4c4f4
c1c4c4f4
c1c4c4c4f4
c1c3c4f4
c1c4c4f4
c1c4c4f4
c1c4c4c4f4
Final: 
F
Devotional / liturgical association: 
Christ, the Blessed Sacrament, BVM, St. Augustine
Modern editions: 
AMMM 13, 12-43; CMM 15.2; MCE 2
Further notes: 

Two of the motets (M054 and M058) have 5 voices.

Content (motets): 
M051 M052 M053 M054 M055 M056 M057 M058

C16 Ave domine Iesu Christe

[Compère, Loyset]

Cycle details

Reference source: 
I-Rvat CS 15, ff. 231v-235r
Cycle rubric: 
-
Number of voices: 
4
Signature: 
b
Clefs: 
c1c3c4f4
Final: 
G
Devotional / liturgical association: 
BVM
Modern editions: 
SCM 2
Discography: 

The cognate cycle C47b (see Further notes) has been recorded by Cappella pratensis: http://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/3971223. Fragments online at https://www.muziekweb.nl/Link/EAX0513.

Content (motets): 
M191 M192 M193 M194 M195

C47a Virgo praecellens (5 motets)

Anonymous

Cycle details

Reference source: 
I-Mfd 2, ff. 35v-37r
Cycle rubric: 
-
Identified as a cycle based on: 
WARD 1986, 506 (see Further notes)
Number of voices: 
4
Signature: 
b
Clefs: 
g2c2c3c4
g2c3c3c4
Final: 
G
Devotional / liturgical association: 
BVM
Modern editions: 
AMMM 6, 12-19; AMMM 13, 145-147 (motet only); CMM 15.4, 30-31 (motet only)
Further notes: 

Only the motet Ave virgo gloriosa Maria mater gratiae is clearly attributed to Compère in a concordant source (I-Rvat CS 46). For the attribution of the Sanctus see M281.

According to WARD 1986, 506, Sanctus and Ave virgo gloriosa Maria mater gratiae are parts of a five-pieces cycle, whose components are dispersed in the four Libroni. In WARD’s hypothetical cycle, however, the motet O genitrix gloriosa M292 is placed between the Sanctus and Ave virgo gloriosa Maria mater gratiae.

C60 Sanctus + Ave virgo gloriosa Maria mater gratiae

[Compère, Loyset (?)]

Motet details

In cycle(s): 
C60 Sanctus + Ave virgo gloriosa Maria mater gratiae
Reference source: 
I-Mfd 2, ff. 36v-37r
Mensuration: 
Number of voices: 
4
Length: 
61
Signature: 
b
Clefs: 
g2c3c3c4
Final: 
G
Music incipit: 
.feedggf
gggbbccd
.dccbgaa
gggggfed
Modern editions: 
AMMM 6, 17-19; AMMM 13, 145-147; CMM 15.4, 30-31
Further notes: 

In all the extant sources but the Libroni this motet is transmitted following the motet M292 O genitrix gloriosa. According to WARD 1986, 511-512, O genitrix gloriosa and Ave virgo gloriosa Maria mater gratiae are two separate compositions (and not a motet divided in two parts, as in the CMM edition), as indicated by the absence of custodes between them in all but one source (MotettiA). RIFKIN 2003, 263, points out that the oldest source in which these two motets are paired is I-Fr Ms. 2794, “a source written at or near the French royal court, very probably between 1486 and 1488”. SCHMIDT 2017, 26, adds that “The piece had thus reached the French court by the 1480s, possibly brought there by the composer himself; by this time it had emancipated itself from the Milanese tradition and had become a proper motet”.

O genitrix gloriosa was copied in I-Mfd 3, ff. 51v-52r.

Concordances (of the two paired motets) in mss. that do not transmit motet cycles: I-Fr Ms. 2794, ff. 9v-11r; I-Sc K.I.2, ff. 182v-184.

 

Text reference: 
T282 Ave virgo gloriosa Maria mater gratiae

M282 Ave virgo gloriosa Maria mater gratiae

Compère, Loyset

Motet details

Reference source: 
I-Mfd 3, ff. 51v-52r
Mensuration: 
Number of voices: 
4
Length: 
31
Signature: 
b
Clefs: 
c1c3c3c4
Final: 
G
Music incipit: 
gggddddc
.dddgffg
.gggdddd
..gggbffg
Modern editions: 
AMMM 13, 148-150; CMM 15.4, 29-31
Further notes: 

In all the extant sources but the Libroni and DK-Kk MS Ny Kongelige Samling 1848 2°, this motet is transmitted followed by the motet M282 Ave virgo gloriosa Maria mater gratiae. According to WARD 1986, 511-512 O genitrix gloriosa and Ave virgo gloriosa Maria mater gratiae are two separate compositions (and not a motet divided in two parts, as in the CMM edition), as indicated by the absence of custodes between them in all but one source (MotettiA). RIFKIN 2003, 263 points out that the oldest source in which these two motets are paired is I-Fr Ms. 2794, “a source written at or near the French royal court, very probably between 1486 and 1488”. SCHMIDT 2017, 26, adds that “The piece had thus reached the French court by the 1480s, possibly brought there by the composer himself; by this time it had emancipated itself from the Milanese tradition and had become a proper motet”.

Concordances (of the two paired motets) in mss. that do not transmit motet cycles: DK-Kk MS Ny Kongelige Samling 1848 2°, pp. 286-287 (ascribed to Richafort); I-Fr Ms. 2794, ff. 9v-11r; I-Sc K.I.2, ff. 182v-184.

M292 O genitrix gloriosa

Compère, Loyset

Text details

Tags: 
Verse
To/about Mary
Standardised text incipit: 
Iam minae ferri sileant
Full text: 

Iam minae ferri sileant et nostri 
Sit tibi regis populique cura
Ut viam semper teneant electam,
Digna Maria.

English translation: 

May the threats be silent already and the care of our king and people may be yours, so that they may always keep the chosen road, worthy Mary.

Correspondences in standard ref works: 

No direct correspondence in a standard ref work could be found.

Related texts in other sources: 

Compare the original poem on which the contrafactum is based (Enea Silvio Piccolomini, Metrum saphicum adonium de nativitate Domini, in Epigrammata), st. 8 (and last):
Da bonam nobis, puer alme, pacem;
Sit tibi regis populique cura,
Ut viam semper teneant placentem
Rex tibi celi.

Further notes: 

This text observes the form of the Sapphic stanza.
Continuation of T191-194 (see the relevant records for a comparison of original and contrafacted stanzas). In I-Mfd 3 "feri" instead of "ferri" and "sit tibi ducis" instead of "sit tibi regis".

T195 Iam minae ferri sileant