Josquin des Prez: Missa La sol fa re mi [score/audio - part 1 of 4]

Kyrie • Gloria. Performed by the Tallis Scholars. Part 1 of 4.

2nd part: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aln-JpXtc74

"The Missa La sol fa re mi follows the Missa L'homme armé super voces musicales in [Ottaviano] Petrucci's first book; its prominent position is seconded by the large number of sources transmitting it. The mass's considerable posthumous fame is evident from the vocal pieces in which it was quoted or used as cantus firmus and the numerous instrumental pieces built on the subject.
Glareanus retails an anecdote about its origin:

"Josquin, when he asked a favour of some influential person whose name I don't know, and this procrastinator repeatedly answered, in that broken tongue of the French, 'Laise faire moy', that is, 'leave it to me', then without delay wrote a whole Mass, an exceedingly elegant work, based on these same words, thus: La sol fa re mi."

(see part 2 for more information)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• josquin
• des
• prez
• la
• sol
• fa
• re
• mi
• franco-flemish
• dufay
• ockeghem
• tallis
• scholars

[shobarsch]

Why don't they use a major third for the endings? Does anyone know?

[flammesombres]

@shobarsch unfortunately it's very common for performers like these to completely ignore musica ficta :) however I think the natural 7ths etc. work well in this piece. 

[flammesombres]

@shobarsch unfortunately it's very common for performers like these to completely ignore musica ficta :) however I think the natural 7ths etc. work well in this piece.

[HerrMichaelKohlhaas]

@shobarsch It may also have something to do with the mode, which is either the third of fourth (Phrygian or Hypophrygian). I'd have to do some research, but perhaps they tended to avoid the piccardy third in the phygian because of it would have implied an augmented 2nd between the second and third degrees of the mode (F to G-sharp). I might be completely off, but that's what came to mind first.