A comparative analysis of the solmization technique in Josquin des Prez mass "Missa Dux Ferrariae" and Witold Lutoslawski's "Sacher Variation" for Violoncello solo: Compositional ideas as a subtext for relationships of
the composer and his/her "sponsor"?

Introduction

In 1975 the cellist Mstislav Rostropowitsch had approached a number of established composers to write a composition to honor Paul Sacher's 70th birthday. One of the composers who followed this artistic invitation was Witold Lutoslawski. He created the Sacher Variations for Cello solo for this special celebration of one of the most sophisticated arts sponsors, (amateur) conductors and commissioners of new works in the 20th century. In this work Lutoslawski translated the single consonants and vowels of Sacher's name (eS-A-C-H-E-Re) into a cantus firmus like tone row; this layer of successively repeated "Sacher" tone rows undergoes constant change in rhythm, register and lengths throughout the piece.

The nature of the occasion in general and the idea of using the solmization technique based on a sponsor's name as a compositional device created an immediate connection between Lutoslawski's work and one of the most remarkable sacred compositions of the Renaissance period; the "Missa Dux Ferrariae" by Josquin des Prez. Josquin worked at the court for Hercules I of Ferrara from 1471-1505. To show his immense appreciation towards this great supporter of the arts he dedicated his " Missa Dux Ferrarie" to Hercules and based his cantus firmus on Hercules's name.

The basic "name-material" in both compositions and its importance for the remaining texture of the pieces substantially differs in the Sacher-Variations and the Missa Dux Ferrariae. In this context questions arise about possible differences between the relationships of Josquin des Prez to Hercules, and Lutoslawski to Sacher; these issues are independent of stylistic differences related to the distinct musical periods and languages.

The Missa Dux Ferrariae by Josquin des Prez (1440-1521)

The Este family came to power as the ruling dynasty of Ferrara in 1208; they remained in control until 1598, when the Pope included Ferrara in the Papal States. Duke Ercole I (Hercules, 1431-1505), who was well known for his own sophisticated musical education, created an exceptional center for music at his court. Ercole did attract a variety of very talented composers, including Agricola, Isaac, Obrecht and Willaert, as well as the theoritician Tictoris. Josquin was appointed as maestro di capella in April 1505. He composed the Missa Dux Ferrariae between 1471 (the year Ercole became Duke) and 1505 which was the year Petrucci printed and published the work. However, an exact year of composition cannot be determined.

In this Mass, Josquin used the Duke's title to create a cantus firmus by selecting solmization syllables (re-ut-re-ut-re-fa-mi-re) to match each vowel of "Hercules Dux Ferrariae" (e-u-e-u-e-a-i-e) (see Figure 2, musical examples: page 4). Thus, Josquin honored his Duke in an extraordinary way. It is important to emphasize that this compositional method to create a cantus firmus was very innovative and, in fact, almost unprecedented. John Stevens, (1)states that only one treatise about the sounds of the words (not their denotations or connotation or sense) existed in the Renaissance and that even this unique treatise was not very well known at the time.

Stevens writes:

Gaspar Stoquerus's treatise of c. 1570 is presented by the series editor of "Greek and Latin Music Theory" as "the only Renaissance treatise yet discovered that is devoted entirely to the problem of text placement in vocal polyphony".

It is highly unlikely that Josquin was aware of the existence of this treatise and that he knew about the described concept. Therefore, his Mass reveals a high degree of compositional originality.(3)

A further book review by Barton Hudson (4)confirms Stoquerus' own indication in the treatise that very little had been written about the word-tone
relationship and related conventions. Hudson stresses the importance of the treatise's book 1 and 2 which discuss various aspects of solmization. He also proves--similarly to Stevens--that the treatise was not well known at that time. (5).

The technique of solmization for construcing a cantus firmus was vaguely anticipated in Josquin's motet Illibata and the Marian motet Ut Phebi raddiis. Elders, for instance, (6) states that in Illibata the syllables 'la mi la' symbolize the name of the Mother of God and adds, that in Ut Phebi radiis the six Guidonian syllables of the ascending hexachord represent the scala celestis, the Jacob's ladder.

The nature of the cantus firmus in Josquin's complete mass reveals his intent to keep this unique musical idea easily recognizable. Josquin used the available pitches in the most simple and obvious way by presenting the cantus firmus in a range of a perfect fourth (without register changes of individual notes) and in equal rhythmic values. The cantus firmus is very symmetrical and consists of two repeated downward major seconds, followed by a minor third leap upwards which is balanced through stepwise motion downwards. The first and last note of the cantus firmus are identical. This implies that even inversions or retrograde variations begin with the same pitch to enable an immediate recognition of the cantus firmus.

The first appearance of the cantus firmus in the mass is in the superius, not in the tenor, which additionally exposes the cantus firmus and stresses the importance of the "Duke" material. The following cantus firmus appearances (on d', and d one octave lower and on a in-between) are exclusively in the tenor; the only variation consists in meter changes from duple to triple meter and vice versa. (See Figure 2: musical examples pages 5-12 for a detailed description of the appearances of the cantus firmus). Retrograde appearances are only included in the Credo and the final Agnus Dei, diminutions only exist in the Credo and Sanctus.

The final Agnus Dei movement confirms Josquin's wish to honor the Duke: the four part chorus is expanded by an additional first Superior voice and a first Bassus. The Superius prima vox, which is, register-wise, the most exposed voice, presents the cantus firmus on the highest pitch d' (similarly to the beginning of the piece), and restates the cantus firmus for the first time in the highest transposition on a'. The last five occurrences of the cantus firmus are repeated without any rests to separate them; thus the "Hercules" melody achieves a continuous presence in the music. Therefore, one might conclude that the whole focus and centre of this mass is indeed the cantus firmus, the symbol of the Duke of Ferrara, Hercules I.

The Sacher Variations by Witold Lutoslawski

The treatment of the cantus firmus melody in Josquins' Mass may be considered as a hidden statement of the relationship between Josquin and Ercole. This relationship is of an entirely different nature than Lutoslawski's explicitly expressed attitude towards Sacher. While the Swiss conductor had commissioned a number of Lutoslawski's works it is interesting to observe that he had not conducted a single first performance of any of Lutoslawski's compositions until his 70th birthday. By that time Sacher had commissioned or conducted first performances of close to 100 works, including Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Strauss' Metamorphosen Stravinsky's Concerto in D , and Honegger's Second and Fourth Symphonies, as well as works by Britten, Fortner and Henze. Sacher's 'altruism' motivating him to sponsor arts events and composers was combined with a great amount of self confidence and a clear awareness about the importance of his contributions for the history of the 20th-century music. In many cases commissions were attached to offers that Sacher would conduct the first performance. Yet, musical abilities of this well-known conductor have been questioned by some critics. This socio-cultural context justifies my speculations about Lutoslawski's ambiguous attitude towards Sacher and his art.

I belive that the composition of the Sacher Variations does not express a persuading level of sincere devotion. Unlike Josquin, Lutoslawski does not base his tone material on the complete name "Sacher." The completeness of the name is sacrificed for the sake of the successful realization of a mathematical game: each appearance of the (consistently growing) Sacher motive brings in an additional note: the first appearance includes one note, the second one plus one, the third one plus two, the fourth adds one plus three notes, and so forth. The added notes build the sequence of the following numbers ( see Figure 1 in musical examples, Figure 1, p. 1, Figure 1, p. 2, Figure 1, p.3):
1 - 2 - 4 - 7 - 11 - 16 - 22 - 29 - 37 - (and in variation 21).

Usually the added notes are eigth notes plus one sixteenth note, but there is no strict consistency in the choice of added rhythmic values. Another device to obscure the identification of the name "Sacher" is the constant change of registers : selected notes are presented at a different (mostly higher) register, in an unpredictable fashion. The register increases consistently overall towards the climax of the ninth derivation of the Sacher motive. Even at the climax, though, the name Sacher is not complete. Quite the contrary: each repetition of the tone row reduces the number of pitches ( consonants and vowels of the name Sacher) up to a point where only two letters are left and repeatedly used.

The Sacher motives are consistently written in the same dynamics and tempi. All textural and musical developments happen in the second layer of the brief composition, which lasts for a mere five minutes. Only the second layer makes use of extreme dynamics, quarter-one technique, certain textural gestures and means of articulation, such as dolce, grazioso, or flautando combined with a variety of different articulations. (7)

There are more differences betwen the two musical layers. The "Sacher" theme and the second layer of the work do not share any common pitch material. The "Sacher" layer is based on the hexachord e flat-a-c-h-e-d, while the second layer forms the complementary hexachord b flat, d flat, a flat, g, f # and f. (8) The intention behind such difference of musical quality and material between the two layers remains uncertain; did Lutoslawski intend to expose the "Sacher" layer and, thus, pay a tribute to his Swiss benefactor, or did he intend to hint at Sacher's lack of true musicality?
It is interesting to note that only the last appearance ( number 10 ) of the "Sacher" motive expresses some musical individuality in regards to tempo, dynamics, articulation, and motivic development. Furthermore, only here the full name appears for the first time in its complete form. It is also three times repeated : a concession to Sacher or a built-in apology ?

Conclusion

Although Brown (9)describes Josquin's compositional technique in the Missa Dux Ferrariae as the use of musical puns, this composition demonstrates Josquin's complete dedication towards 'his' Duke. The cantus firmus always appears in its complete form; moreover, it is usually presented in a superior register, or in a more pronounced aural shape than the material of the remaining vocal parts. At the beginning of the Kyrie, and in the final Agnus Dei the cantus firmus is stated in the highest existing voice. Thus, the composer makes sure that the musical symbol of his Duke is always clearly recognized, always elevated above the remaining elements of the music.

In contrast, in Lutoslawski's Sacher Variations the name "Sacher" (and its musical translation) is made subservient to a mathematical principle. Moreover, a large number of register displacements and rhythmic changes obscure the identification of the name. Up to the very last section (appearance 10) , the "Sacher" motive does not start at the beginning or conclude with the last letter of Sacher's name. Therefore, the composition seems to be more an entertaining gesture towards a friend or acquaintance than a serious, devoted dedication towards a figure well-respected in the arts community. Despite Sacher's achievement in the world of arts and his generosity in terms of funding and commissioning, professional composers have been questioning Sacher's artistic merit in the past. Lutoslawski's birthday present may be yet another, half-serious attempt at making-fun of someone whose well-publicized efforts do not stand the test of time.

The realizations of the solmization technique in works by two composers from two different historical periods carried a hidden meaning and provided a subtext for the relationships of Josquin and Hercules I, and Lutoslawski and Sacher. There is room for further exploration to what extend these two compositions may be considered symbols of individual, irrepeatable phenomena and to what measure they exemplify the changed structures and relationships between composers/musicians and the society in general.

Endnotes

(1)John Stevens. Book review in Music and Letters 72 : 271-72 n2 (1991) about Stoquerus, Gaspar. De musica verbali libri duo? Two books on Verbal music. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1988.

(2) ibid., p 271.

(3)The "Missa La-sol-fa-re-mi by Josquin uses a similar technique. The cantus firmus consists of the notes A-G-F-D-E and its transpositions. La-so-fa-re-mi refers to a line of Italian poetry "Lassa far a mi". Browns discusses Josquin's masses in more detail: Howard Brown. Music in the Renaissance. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1976, p153.

(4) Barton Hudson. Book review in Notes 48: 75-76 (1991) about: Stoquerus, Gaspar. De musica
verbali libri duo? Two books on Verbal music. Lincoln, Nebraska : University of Nebraska Press, 1988.

(5) Barton Hudson mentions that the treatise never had been finished , printed or circulated.

(6) Elders, Willem. "The performance of cantus firmi in Josquin's Masses based on secular monophonic song" in Early Music , (August 1989) : 331.

(7) Martina Homma identifies a refrain episode structure as the basic structural priciple in this composition, in Martina Homma. Witold Lutoslawski: Zwoelfton-Harmonik- Formbildung "aleatorischer Kontrapunkt". Koeln: Bela Verlag, 1996, p 205.

(8) Sascha Jacobsen listed the pitch-class content of these hexachords in his presentation at USC on April 15, 1997.

(9) Howard Brown. Music in the Renaissance. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1976, p 135.

Bibliography