Hercules Dux Ferrariae: Secrets and Techniques of Renaissance Composition!

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Contents of the Guide

The Missa "Hercules Dux Ferrarie" by Josquin Desprez

The Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae is one of the greatest masterpieces of Renaissance music, composed by the Flemish musician Josquin Desprez.

This composition, being a Mass, is structured according to the Ordinary of the Roman Rite of the Mass, consisting of the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei.

Much could be said from a historical perspective, but we leave that task to musicologists and focus instead on how a Musicus Practicus of the Renaissance would have perceived the elements contained within it.

We will therefore analyze it from four perspectives:

Hexachordal Solmization

Solmization is the central element of this composition, not only because solmization was the tool through which the ancient Musici Prattici read all music, but also because the main theme is constructed using the tema cavato technique.

The Tenor sings the Cantus Firmus, which states: Re Ut Re Ut Re Fa Mi Re.

This melody is built using the syllables that share the same vowels as “Hercules Dux Ferrariae“.

Much like in painting, where rulers and patrons would have themselves portrayed within a church fresco, in music, Ercole, Duke of Ferrara, had his name embedded into the tenor line of the Mass.

Here is the division into syllables:

Her-cu-les dux Fer-ra-rie

Re-Ut-Re Ut Re-Fa-Mi-Re

From the Manuscript BAV, ms. Capp. Sist. 45 of the Vatican Apostolic Library.

As you can see in this image, the Tenor sings Re Ut Re Ut Re Fa Mi Re, starting from the Chorda Dsolre and then from the Chorda Alamire.

In fact, the starting Chorda itself does not matter; with Hexachordal Solmization, the hexachord can begin on any letter.

The first melody, where Re is sung on D, is within the natural hexachord (Hexachordum naturale) on Cut and belongs to the Proprietas Naturalis.

The second melody, marked Christe, is within the hard hexachord (Hexachordum durum) on Gut and belongs to the Proprietas B durum.

Cantus Firmus

Cantus Firmus refers to Gregorian Chant as it was known during the Renaissance.

More specifically, it describes the manner in which the chant was performed—all notes having the same value.

Firmus means “flat” which in Latin can also be expressed as Planus, leading to the term Cantus Planus, from which the English term Plainchant is derived.

A Cantus Firmus can also be newly composed, and this Cantus Firmus is an example of such a composition.

The intriguing question is: in which of the eight Ecclesiastical Tones does this chant fit?

An example from the manuscript Brussels, KBR, ms. 9126, where the Tenor states Philippus Rex Castilie instead of Hercules Dux Ferrariae.

Understanding how the Modes and Tones of the Cantus Firmus function is highly complex, and I have dedicated an entire course of over 100 lessons to this topic.

However, to put it simply and clearly, this Cantus Firmus is written in the Second Plagal Tone (Tonus Plagalis II).

We can deduce this because it ends on Dlasolre and does not ascend to Alamire, with the highest note being Ffaut.

Since it resides within the smaller part of the first-species diapente (the Semidittonus or minor third: Re-Mi-Fa), it cannot be the First Authentic Tone (Tonus Authenticus I), which would require reaching the Chorda Alamire.

Cantus Figuratus (Mensural Notation)

From the perspective of Renaissance Mensural Notation, the first movement—Kyrie-Christe-Kyrie—offers us a wealth of insights.

Regarding Mensura, the first Kyrie is written in Tempus Perfectus, meaning that the Brevis equals three Semibreves.
Additionally, the tactus is at the Semibreve, with one Minima downbeat and one Minima upbeat.

The Christe, on the other hand, features the semicircle symbol, indicating Tempus Imperfectum, where the Brevis equals two Semibreves.
Furthermore, it includes a vertical slash, signifying Proportio Dupla.

As a result, the tactus shifts to the Brevis, meaning one Semibreve downbeat and one Semibreve upbeat.

The second Kyrie is exactly like the first: returning to the Perfect Brevis of three Semibreves and the Tactus at the Semibreve, subdivided into two Minimae.

While in the orange boxes you see the Circle and the Semicircle, in the red boxes you see the Rests.

The way these rests are grouped indicates that both the Longa and the Maxima are imperfect, meaning that the Modus Longarum and the Modus Maximarum are imperfect as well.

In the Jena Manuscript, created for Frederick the Wise of Saxony, the Cantus Firmus displays a particularly intriguing feature.

Her-cu-les dux Fer-ra-ri-ae contains 8 syllables.
Fri-de-ri-cus dux sax-so-ni-e contains 9 syllables.

To accommodate both syllabic structures, a Brevis is divided accordingly.

As we have mentioned, a Brevis contains three Semibreves because it is perfect.

However, in the example shown, where the orange rectangle is highlighted, there are only two Semibreves instead of three.

This is correct because, in Mensural Notation, as you can learn in-depth in the Cantus Figuratus course, there is a phenomenon called Alteratio.

Alteratio works as follows: in a perfect Mensura, when there are two smaller notes between two larger notes, the second of the two smaller notes is doubled in value.

Thus, the two letters I have placed beside the notes, R and A, stand for Recta (a Semibrevis worth 1 Semibrevis) and Altera (a Semibrevis worth 2 Semibreves).

As you will learn in the course, this rule does not apply if there is a rest, because rests are Agentes (active) and not Patientes (passive).

In other words, they can cause but cannot undergo Alteratio (nor Color).

Tones and Modes

We established that the Cantus Firmus belongs to the Second Plagal Tone (Tonus Plagalis II).

But what can we say about the entire composition, such as when analyzing the first Kyrie?

From the perspective of polyphony, is it also in the Second Plagal Tone, or does it take the shape of the First Authentic Tone? Or perhaps both?

Many argue that in polyphony, it is impossible to distinguish between the Authentic and Plagal Modes because, while one voice sings in an authentic mode, another sings in a plagal mode, resulting in a mix.

Although this observation is true, there is a hierarchy and order to the elements that allow us to correctly identify the Tonus or Modus.

Firstly, since the Cantus Firmus in the Tenor is in the Second Plagal Tone, Josquin would have done his best to compose a Mass that also adheres to the Second Tone in its polyphonic structure.

Indeed, this is exactly what he achieved, and to claim otherwise would be a significant error.

To correctly identify the tone, we must analyze all four voices, focusing particularly on the clefs used in the manuscript.

Cantus Part: Arithmetic division of the Diapason:

aalamire-dlasolre-alamire (descending)

Contratenor Part: Harmonic division of the Diapason

Dsolre-alamire-dlasolre (ascending)

Tenor Part: Semiditonus Re-Fa

Bassus Part: Arithmetic division of the Diapason

alamire-Dsolre-Are (descending)

Analyzing the range of each individual voice, we observe that the use of the Mezzosoprano clef for the Cantus is a choice that reflects a lower register.

Similarly, the Contratenor, written in the Tenor clef, also sings in a very low and deep register.

The Tenor, having only four notes, fits well within the Tenor clef.

The Bassus, however, sings with the Bass clef.

In its natural keys, the Second Plagal Tone (Tonus Plagalis II) is characterized as grave, languid, and profound.

The Bassus voice, in this case, is unusually low, even for the typical vocal range.

The Second Plagal Tone is often transposed a fourth higher (B molle) or an octave higher for higher-pitched instruments to accommodate performance needs.

This explains the choice to use, instead of a true Bass voice aligned with the Second Tone, something akin to a Second Tenor.

In the following image from Giovanni Maria Bononcini’s book Musico Prattico, Op. 8, on page 135, we see how each of the 12 Modes (within which the 8 Ecclesiastical Tones are contained) has its own specific clefs.

The clefs for the Second Mode align well with those used by Josquin in this composition.

If we also analyze the Bicinium by Diruta, written in the Second Mode, where the Tenor and Soprano sing, we observe how the upper melody corresponds to the Cantus of “Hercules Dux Ferrariae”, while the lower melody corresponds to the Bassus of “Hercules”.

Interestingly, this Bassus aligns with the range of the Tenor, as an actual Bassus would be too deep and grave for choral voices!

Thus, even from the perspective of polyphony, we can confidently affirm that the Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae is composed in the Second Plagal Tone (Tonus Plagalis II).

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In this Musicus’ Guide, I have shared a wealth of knowledge, unveiling how Renaissance musicians thought about and perceived music, and shedding light on aspects that are often overlooked, even in the most prestigious music schools and academies today.

All these intricate details have been integrated into the Renaissance Pathway of the Musicus Practicus Academy.

Inside, you’ll find hundreds of lessons on Solmization, Cantus Firmus, Renaissance Notation, and Tones and Modes!

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