Music 230
Prof. Freedman
Nov. 24/5, 1997
* Please use MCD 1938, "Popes and Antipopes: Music for the Courts of Avignon and Rome" by the Orlando Consort.
On April 8, 1433, the Pope Eugenius and Sigismundus, King of the Romans, united to sign a treaty of peace. The king was crowned Holy Roman Emperor and there was much celebration. To commemorate this joyful occasion, Guillame Dufay wrote the motet "Supremum est mortalibus bonum" ("The highest good for mortals is peace"), including the names of these two honored men in his great sustained chords near the piece's conclusion (Bent, CD notes). Dufay's main text is shared by his top two voices, the triplum and motetus, and is divided into two stanzas. The first 12 lines comprising the first stanza speak of the benefit of peace to men of all classes and of the freedom and joy it brings to the natural world. The second stanza, encompassing the final 8 lines, prays for the eternity of peace and praises Eugenius and Sigismundus, the envoys of peace. Dufay carefully sets these words to music, colorfully painting their meanings before our eyes through his rich melodic lines. Ironically, however, as he also struggles to bring isorhythmic structure and support to his work, he battles between text and design, foregoing a sense of peace to create a curious collage of his musical ideas.
Dufay's motet is of isorhythmic design, employing a repeating tenor line that moves slowly beneath the other parts, functioning as a foundation for the work. As noted by Grout, isorhythmic motets have tenors built up of colors (the "repeating series of pitches") and talea (the "long recurring rhythmic unit").1 Dufay's tenor has six 15 bar units of a certain talea. His piece is curious, for we could interpret it as having two colors, since the entire melodic line of the tenor repeats only once, or perhaps as having three groups of color that come twice, paired with each talea. Let us then call these units A1, B1, and C1 and their identical repeats A2, B2, and C2. Each group of A begins on the pitch G, each group of B on D, and each group of C on C. The melodic lines are similar, but are not merely transpositions of one another. For the most part, all show a general pattern of rising by scale tones to a certain pitch and then descending again. The high points of each line do not occur in the same place. A table of figures A, B, and C might look something like the following, with each note that is an octave above the original range denoted by a small 2:
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# beats per note: 6--6 6 6 4--2 1 1 2 1 2 3 3 6--6 6 6 6 (rest 6x3)
note names, A: G A G D2 D2 E2 F2 E2 D2 C Bb A G F G
B: D E F G Bb A G F E D D2 C D2 E2 D2
C: C Bb A G G A Bb C D2 Eb2 D2 C Bb C B
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This tenor line is very difficult to hear by itself, moving so slowly below the rapid upper voices that it can hardly be recognized as a melody. The tenor has its own text that reinforces the theme of the text in the upper parts. Emphasizing the glory of the two prominent men, it proclaims, "For peace, for the two great lights of the world."
Before this isorhythmic texture begins, however, Dufay's "Supremum" opens with a passage in which he innovatively employs fauxbourdon, a technique commonly used in the mass. Fauxbourdon "signaled the fact that the performers could add a third part. . . to them by following certain strictly formulaic procedures".2 The earliest method derived a line from the written discant by singing a fourth below, producing "essentially a chain of what would now be called 6-3 chords" (434). In the opening 10 bars, the tenor rests while the triplum and motetus sing the first two lines of text, joined by an added line of fauxbourdon written a fourth below the triplum line. Dufay also uses fauxbourdon at various places throughout the motet where the tenor rests and at the close of the piece in an extensive free section. Thus, our structural model of the piece, paired with the text setting, now looks something like the following:
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Measures 1-10, fauxbourdon introduction, encompassing lines of text 1 and 2.
Measures 11-25, line A1, text lines 3-6 | Measures 56-70, line A2, text lines 13-14
26-40, line B1, text lines 7-9 | 71-85, line B2, text lines 15-16
41-55, line C1, text lines 10-12 | 86-100, line C2, text lines 17-18
Measures 101-106, line 19
Measures 107-109, line 20 (names), sustained chords
Measures 110-120, lengthy free section of fauxbourdon, text: "Amen"
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Now with these structural features clearly in mind we can turn to examine the individual lines of Dufay's work, noting especially the ways in which the piece's melodic features illustrate his text. The first two lines of text ("Supremum. . . donum" ) introduce the theme of peace, proclaiming "The highest good for mortals is peace, the best gift of God on high." The words of the parts coincide very closely so that this important introduction can be more easily heard and understood. In measure 4 there comes a beautiful high E flat and G chord on "bonum," perhaps representing audibly the "highest" good. In measure 5, at the conclusion of line 1, there follows a clear ringing cadence on D and A even though there is no syntactical break between these lines. In line 2, the tension of the triplum's B flat on "Dei," God, creates a large emotional swell, bringing emphasis to the glorified name. With this in our ears, the "d" sound on dominum is especially noticeable. At the conclusion of line 2, there are three bars of an upward and downward scale, perhaps reminding us of our isorhythmic tenor lines. In fact, the triplum line begins on D and looks very similar to the D to D section of our "B" tenor line. The arching tenor structure seems to be a motive used throughout the piece for added emphasis or to bring sections to conclusion. Here, the powerful ascending and descending patterns in each voice conclude the introduction and entice us to listen for more. (Play Example 1)* (see note)
The text now shifts from the introduction of the theme of peace to an explanation of the good effects of peace; lines 3 and 4 discuss how "by peace the supremacy of the law / has force and constancy in right." Dufay has the triplum and motetus place their words at different intervals so that none fall at the same time; however, giving them order and structure is the tenor line A1. It is appropriate that Dufay chooses this moment of the text to bring in the isorhythmic line, for the tenor part provides the subtle ordered "law" with "constancy" that governs the majority of the composition. In measure 18, in the 8th measure of the tenor's section A1, there is a cadence of a fifth interrupting the isorhythmic unit. If we turn to the text for the explanation of this interruption, we find the end of line 4 which is designated in the text by a semicolon. Thus, here we see Dufay choose to accent his text over his structural design. (Play Example 2) Lines 5 and 6 begin a new idea, turning to examine the ways that people and nature are affected by peace; "In peace the day is free and happy, / and at night quiet sleep is prolonged," the text translates. The upper voices unite on "dies" (day), allowing us to hear this word clearly and to comprehend its importance. One of the most tender lines in the piece follows, an exchange of the rising B flat--C--D in the motetus with the descending B flat--A--G in the triplum occurring on the word "laetus" (happy, joyful). Dufay continues to beautifully illustrate his text in bars 22-25 as "trahitur" and "quietus" (quiet) are appropriately "prolonged" with melismatic gestures on mournful descending thirds. In addition, Dufay has skillfully arranged his lines of music and text so that the text speaks of night's quietness just as the tenor's low voice drops out. (Play Example 3)
The open fifth cadence for line 6 of text oddly occurs on the downbeat of the B1 section; indeed, this happens with both lines of A and C texts while the lines of B text conclude before the next isorhythmic section of tenor. This is a curious pattern which seems to have no corresponding textual significance. Here in measure 26 the tenor enters just in time to complete the cadence on his low D while simultaneously giving the downbeat for the next line. Line seven, "Pax docuit virginem ornare" (Peace taught the maiden to adorn her hair) is more slow and lauding, with notes of longer duration appearing in the upper voices for the first time. They soon regain momentum, however, as they add three measures of flourishes and sixteenth note patterns to the end of the line, illustrating the "ornare" with ornaments. (Play Example 4) Again there comes a cadence on the eighth measure of the isorhythmic period; the cadence sounds as if it will result on the D of measure 32, but instead comes after an arching line in the triplum concluding on E. Unlike lines 4 and 5, lines 7 and 8 form one complete thought (line 8 alone reads "with gold and tie it in a knot"), so this interruption makes no sense syntactically. Struggling to keep his piece to the form introduced with section A1, Dufay now violates his text to bring about structural regularities!
The tenor's three measures of rest coincide with line 9, and Dufay chooses this opportunity to add a line of fauxbourdon. As in the introduction, all three of the voices sing the words in unison, this time speaking of the happiness of streams and birds. After the strong cadence on the G and D 4th of measure 40, the tenor reenters for line ten, beginning the third structural unit, C1. Again, this seems odd text-wise since lines 9 and 10 also go together to express one idea. The top two parts illustrate "suaves" with an arching pattern, showing the flowing happiness of nature. (Play Example 5) There is no cadence after line 10, but the line continues smoothly until the end of line 11, "In peace the wealthy traveler reaches his destination." Cleverly, Dufay has sustained his melodic line, keeping it from its destination, until the traveler has reached his own destination! Line 12, "Tutus arva incolit arator" (and the ploughman cultivates his fields in safety), moves more slowly and then picks up the pace (as in line 7), adding quick and flowing notes in the absence of the tenor. (Play Example 6)
Dufay's two line introduction allows the composer to cut the remaining text into two equal sections of 8 lines each. As stanza two begins, Dufay chooses to repeat the tenor lines A, B, and C over again. The top voices, however, bear no similarity to the parts previously above the A color. Instead, the triplum part (at least from the G in measure 57 to the concluding G two bars later), is almost identical to the first two measures of the piece's introduction. This seems appropriate since both first lines introduce the subject of peace. Line 13 reads, "Oh holy peace, long awaited," and Dufay cleverly extends "expectata" so that the cadence is four measures late and thus "long awaited." In line 14, "mortalibus" (mortals) is strikingly mournful with a surprising minor 6th on the syllable "bus" in measure 65. The tension subsides as this chord resolves to a 5th on "dulcis" (sweet) and the line continues into yet another fauxbourdon section, this time without words, where the tenor has his characteristic three measures of rest. In this line, the triplum voice mimics the opening statement with slightly different rhythms, again referring us back to the introduction of peace. As before line 8, we expect the flowing line to cadence a bar earlier than it actually does. (Play Example 7)
Line 14 cadences where B2 begins; here the top voices begin to slow down, turning to a speed more comparable to the slow, plodding line of the tenor. Line 15, translating "mayst thou be eternal, firm, and inviolate," sounds as if it will cadence in measure 77 while the motetus is in mid-word! However, the line endures and, like peace, will not be stopped or violated. In his musical rendering of Line 16, "and rejoice that good faith is ever with thee," Dufay extends his words so much that the tenor part "runs out of music" below. (Play Example 8) If the tenor part that just vanished represents "good faith," this line may be an odd joke of Dufay's; on the other hand, Dufay may wish for his upper two parts to sound more sweet and angelic without the tenor, by themselves representing this faith.
Section C2 contains lines 17 and 18 that begin to turn to address the important figures that have brought about this peace: "and may they that have give us thee, O peace / Possess their realms without end." Again we find the characteristic cadence in bar 8 of the isorhythmic tenor color, this time on a unison C. There is another cadence in measure 12 at the end of the line of text that is continued by the motetus and carried on for four measures, seemingly "without end." (Play Example 9) This marks the end of the isorhythmic sections of the piece and begins the section naming the great men, Eugenius and Sigismundus, to whom the piece is dedicated. The tenor now changes to assume the role of a regular bass line; Besseler even notes one addition of the piece that includes the new words "Isti sunt duce olive" for the tenor, likely a reference to the olive branch, a symbol of peace. (Play Example 10) The last line which calls out the eternal names "Eugenius et rex Sigmundus" (Pope Eugenius and King Sigismundus" is set entirely to long chords extended by fermatas. As the voices sing together on these long, royal and harmonious lines descending to rich A major chords, they grasp our attention and present the most easily heard and remembered section of the work. (Play Example 11) This is certainly appropriate; as Dufay wrote his piece to glorify these men, it is obvious that he wished most for us to remember their names.
The ending of the piece consists of an extended free section of fauxbourdon (which the tenor interrupts half way through) on "Amen" as Dufay frolics in the peace / piece he has achieved. Here he employs the up and down runs of the sort we have encountered throughout the piece; perhaps these arches may even represent the olive branches of peace suggested by the tenor part. The concluding three measures are remarkably like the last three measures of the work's introduction, bringing the motet full circle. The last two beats of bar 119 tease us with odd tension and dissonance on the final "men," which is peacefully resolved on the final cadence of bar 120. (Play Example 12) With "Supremum est Mortalibus bonum" Dufay has created a piece that lavishly illustrates text while also employing fauxbourdon and isorhythmic design. With so many competing forces fighting to be displayed and heard, Dufay's work about peace is ironically at war with itself. Though a fine composition on all these levels, a careful listening and analysis leaves us feeling unsettled and certainly not at peace!
1Grout, Donald J. and Claude V. Palisca, A History of Western Music, (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1996) 104-105.
2 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Vol. F, 434.