Jewel Faulkner
Renaissance Music
April 1, 1997
Miserere mei Deus
Aside from the obvious being the same the same Latin psalm text, there is almost no way that Lassus's and Josquin's the settings of the "Miserere mei deus" text by Josquin des Pres and Orlando di Lassus are nothing alike. The two composers chose two almost diametrically opposed ways of setting the text. While both broke the text up into sections, they chose differently sized sections, and from there chose two completely different ways to handle putting the psalm to music. Lassus chose the approach of taking each individual line of the psalm and setting it, keeping them self-contained yet still tied to the whole. And from there, he seeks to use the music to expand and illustrate the text itself. Josquin, on the other hand, chose to treat his rendition as a unified whole, and strove more for unity than for text painting.
One of the major differences in the structure of the two Misereres is how the composers chose to break up the text itself into sections. The straight Latin text itself is:
Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.
Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum, dele iniquiatatem meam.
Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea: et peccatto meo munda me.
Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco: et peccatum meum contra me est semper.
Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci: ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum judicaris.
Ecce enim in inquitatibus conceptus sum: et in peccatis concepit me mater mea.
Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti: incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifesti mihi.
Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo, et mundabor: lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
Auditui meo dabis gaudium st laetitiam: et exsultabunt ossa humiliata.
Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis: et omnes iniquitates meas dele.
Cor mundum crea in me, Deus: et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis.
Ne projicias me a facie tua: et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me.
Redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui: et spiritu principali confirma me.
Docebo iniquos vias tuas: et implii ad te convertentur.
Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus, Deus salutis meae: et exsultabit lingua mea justitiam tuam.
Domine, labia mea aperies: et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam.
Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem utique: holocasutis non delectaberis.
Sacraficium Deo spiritus contribulatus: cor contritum, et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.
Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua Sion: ut aedificentur muri Jerusalem.
Tunc acceptabis sacrificium justitiae, oblantiones, et holocausta: tunc imponent super altare tuum virtulos.
Gloria Parti, Filio, et Spiritus Sancto.
Sicunt erat in principo, et nunc semper, et in saeculorum. Amen.
Lassus chose to set each individual sentence as a small, contained, individual text to compose a motet on. As such, there is no repetition of previous lines. Josquin, on the other hand, separated the text into three segments, all of which are joined together by a repetition of the "Miserere mei deus" text. The line "miserere mei deus" serves as a unifier for a piece which is more obviously unified than the Lassus setting.
One thing that Lassus does that Josquin does not as much is the use of the vocal ranges to expresses things. There are many examples of this in the Lassus setting. In the "Audite meo," only the two of the lowest voices sing, the tenor and the bass. The line, "Audite meo dabis gaudium et laetitiam: et exultabunt ossa humiliate" means "Make me hear joy and gladness: and the bones you have cast down will rejoice." By using the lower voices, he seems to show how lowly the ones pleading for God to look down on them and grant them happiness--they are the lowest of the low. Likewise, he could have done this because the line speaks of the "bones you have cast down." The lowness of the voices indicates the lowness of the "cast down bones," even having the lowest notes of the bass be on the word "humilita" (measures 19-22) He does something similar with the "Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium dedissem utique: holocaustis non delectaberis" [Since if you had wanted a sacrifice I would have given it: you will not delight in sacrifices], setting it with two bass lines and a tenor (measures 1- 25). Again, although more subtle, this is also a more supplicating verse, saying that the penitent one would do whatever God wished, if only God would 'delight in' it. The verse, by it's very phrasing, subtly implies a lowness in the supplicant, and thus, the lowest voices are picked to sing this line.
Even in verses that are set for more than two or three voices, Lassus also use the differing vocal ranges to express qualities of the text. Continuing the vein of the expressiveness of the ranges vocal types themselves, Lassus constantly uses the upper range to express, in some way, raising up of the penitential one. In the "Asperges me Domine isopo et mundabor: lavabis me et super nivem dealbabor" [You will purge me with hyssop and I will be clean: you will wash me and I will be whiter than snow], the words "Asperges me Domine" [You will purge me], are sung by the three highest voices, even though there are two bass parts (measures 1-5). Purging indicates a freeing from sin; a rising above it by the grace of God, and so only the higher voices are given these words. This use of the upper voices is more fully expressed with the "Libera me de sanguinibus Deus, Deus salutaris meae: et exultavit lingua mea justitiam tuam" [Free me from bloodshed O God, the God of my salvation: and my tongue will acclaim your justice]. In the recorded version, the only voice to sing the words, "Libera me" [Free me], while all of the voices sing the word "Deus" [God] (measures 1-7). The single high voice could be interpreted as the voice rising alone and able to reach heights that the others cannot.
Lassus also uses the placement of notes within the vocal ranges to be indicative of the meaning of the text. In the "Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus: cor contritum et humiliatum Deus non despicies" [A broken spirit is a sacrifice to God: you O God, will not despise a contrite and humble heart], when "et humiliatum" [and humble], all of the voices go to the lower portions of their range. The highest voice, in fact, drops out and sings it after them (measures 14-17). In the same verse, the word "sacrificium" [sacrifice] is also fairly, or, in the case of the bass line, very, low in the range (measures 1-4).
Another time, although not as obvious, when the pitches help reflect the text is in the "Benigne fac Domine in bona voluntate tua Sion: ut aedificentur muri Jerusalem" [O Lord in your kindness treat Sion kindly: that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up]. All of the voices are singing in the lower parts of their ranges on the words "ut aedificentur muri Jerusalem" [that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up] (measures 15-21). At first, there might not seem to be much of a connection between the building walls up and the voices going down, but the connection could be that building walls up gives them increased stability and support, and these lower notes indicate a sort of firmly grounded state; a strong base for something to be built upon.
Josquin, on the other hand, chooses an entirely different way of setting the text than Lassus did. The most obvious difference, as mentioned earlier, was that Josquin did not set the verses as individual verses. He, instead, separated the psalm into three parts:
I. Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.
Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum, dele iniquiatatem meam.
Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea: et peccatto meo munda me.
Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco: et peccatum meum contra me est semper.
Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci: ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum judicaris.
Ecce enim in inquitatibus conceptus sum: et in peccatis concepit me mater mea.
Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti: incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifesti mihi.
Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo, et mundabor: lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
II. Auditui meo dabis gaudium st laetitiam: et exsultabunt ossa humiliata.
Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis: et omnes iniquitates meas dele.
Cor mundum crea in me, Deus: et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis.
Ne projicias me a facie tua: et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me.
Redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui: et spiritu principali confirma me.
Docebo iniquos vias tuas: et implii ad te convertentur.
Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus, Deus salutis meae: et exsultabit lingua mea justitiam tuam.
III. Domine, labia mea aperies: et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam.
Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem utique: holocasutis non delectaberis.
Sacraficium Deo spiritus contribulatus: cor contritum, et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.
Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua Sion: ut aedificentur muri Jerusalem.
Tunc acceptabis sacrificium justitiae, oblantiones, et holocausta: tunc imponent super altare tuum virtulos.
One possible reason for Josquin's picking three sections might have been the idea of the Holy Trinity, but upon closer inspection of the text, a pattern also develops which shows why Josquin might have chosen to separate the text into three sections as he did. In English, the text is as follows:
I. Have mercy upon me, O God: according to your great mercy
Wash my sin completely from me: and cleanse me of my wickedness.
And according to the number of your mercies: wipe out my sin.
Since I know my iniquity: and my sin is always before me.
Against you only have I sinned and I have done wrong before you: that you may be
justified in your charge and be right in your judgment.
For behold I was conceived in wickedness: in sin my mother conceived me.
For behold, you loved the truth: and you made clear to me the hidden secrets of
your wisdom.
You will purge me with hyssop and I will be clean: you will wash me and I will be
whiter than snow.
II. Make me hear joy and gladness: and the bones you have cast down will rejoice
Turn your face from my sins: and wipe out all my iniquities.
Make a clean heart in me, O God: and renew an upright spirit in me.
Do not send me from your face: and do not remove your holy spirit from me.
Give back to me the joy of your salvation: and strengthen your spirit in me.
I will teach the wicked your way: and the sinners will turn to you.
Free me from bloodshed O God, the God of my salvation: and my tongue will
acclaim your justice.
III. O Lord, open my lips: and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
Since if you had wanted a sacrifice I would have given it: you will not delight in
sacrifices.
A broken spirit is a sacrifice to God: you O God, will not despise a contrite and
humble heart.
O Lord in your kindness treat Sion kindly: that the walls of Jerusalem may be built.
Then you will accept the sacrifice of justice offerings and sacrifices: then they will
place young bulls on your altar
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the
beginning and now and always: and throughout the ages Amen.
In the first section, the general idea between all of the lines is the idea of sin. In the second section, the basic idea is that of asking for forgiveness and telling what the repentant sinner will do if his sin is cleansed away. The subject of the third section seems to be the idea of worship and what the sinner feels that God wants.
Josquin chose not to set last two lines of the psalm as Lassus did. Instead, he opts to end his setting on the same line with which he began it, "miserere mei Deus." It is in this way that his setting is the most different from Lassus's. Josquin repeated text from previous sentences, in this case "miserere mei deus" in the music, even though they did not in the psalm. One fascinating thing that Josquin chooses to do with this is that, while he has specified five voices sing, one of the voices, designated the first tenor in the de' Medici Codex, only sings the line "Miserere mei Deus." This is one of the ways in which Josquin brings unity to the piece. Using the words "miserere mei deus" makes since, since that first sentence carries across the basic idea of the entire psalm.
The other way of unifying is the rhythm that "miserere mei deus" takes when it returns throughout the piece. In the first part, the line is notated, in modern notation, as a dotted half note (Mi-), a quarter (-se-), a half note (-re-), a half note (-re), a half note (me-), a half note (-i), at least a whole note (de-), and at two whole notes (-us), at least in the bass and first tenor (measures 3-8). The other voices have slight variations on this, and end the section with that pattern or a slight variation thereof (measures 162-169). In the second section, this basic pattern is compacted in the first tenor to a dotted quarter, an eighth, quarter, quarter, quarter, quarter, half-note, whole (measures 15-17). The original notation appears, along with variations, appears in the other parts, but the second part ends with the voices all singing the compacted version once together before the soprano and second tenor sing a variation introduced earlier in the movement (measures 115-120). In the end of the third part, the first tenor sings the original version of the miserere mei deus theme, the second tenor sings the compacted theme, and the other voices sing variations on either version (measures 126-135).
One thing that Josquin does that is on the surface similar to Lassus is that he often will have two voices sing while the others are silent. But unlike Lassus, this is not used for text painting, but rather to create a trinity within the singers. There are two parts together, the other two parts together, and then the first tenor as the unifier, singing the miserere. Which two parts--soprano, alto, tenor two, and bass--are grouped together is often in flux, but there is still a unity of two plus the first tenor. And example of this is the in the third part (measures 19 -47, or to measure 81) shows how the groups of two may switch, but still unifies together at the 'miserere mei deus'.
Orlando di Lassus and Josquin des Pres chose two drastically different approaches to how to set the fiftieth psalm. Lassus chose to look at each individual lines of the psalm and set them so that the music in some way portrayed and expanded on the text. He used the voices themselves to musically illustrate the points he felt were important within the individual lines. Josquin, on the other hand, cared more for creating an underlying unity with the setting of the entire psalm. He used the voices to highlight a point, however, and that was perhaps to expand on the Trinity aspect he used in separating the psalm, as well as conspicuously using the first tenor and the text "miserere mei deus," "O Lord, have mercy on me" as a unifier for the other voices. While both differed in their way of setting the text on an almost diametrical level, they both strove for the same thing; to find a significant and relevant setting of the text.