Lasso's Magnificat Praeter rerum seriem : Historical Context and Imitative Technique

In order to hear the sound examples included in this essay, you must have the CD entitled "How Excellent Is Thy Name: Sacred Music of Lassus", by the King's Singers.

While the imitation Magnificats composed by Orlando di Lasso constitute the minority of his work in the genre, they are (along with the Masses composed according to the same technique) a landmark in his music and in Renaissance sacred music, and provided an example to many of his contemporaries, as well as future composers. These Magnificats, although all based on the same general principle of deriving the better part of their music from an existing polyphonic work, nonetheless are extremely varied in terms of Lasso's choice of models, the degree to which the original music is preserved in the Magnificat, and Lasso's manipulation of that original music. Lasso's models range from secular madrigals and chansons to sacred motets, include both his own music and that of other composers, and "span nearly the entire sixteenth century chronologically" (Crook 17). Some of them consist of predominantly new music, while a few are derived in their totality from their model. Lasso's technique of imitation was not a formulaic method of creating music from older sources; each one of his imitation Magnificats is individual in its approach and in its treatment of the model. In this essay, I will attempt to examine some of the ways in which Lasso's Magnificat based on the motet Praeter rerum seriem of Josquin is distinctive, and it how it fits with his other work in the genre, focusing both on the historical and cultural context surrounding its composition, and the manner in which the Magnificat relates to its model.

The Praeter rerum seriem Magnificat (No. 70), stands out from others in Lasso's output in several ways. Firstly, the text, a motet by Josquin first published in 1519, is the oldest model used by Lasso for ant of his Magnificats. In addition, Lasso used predominatly secular sources for his imitation Magnifucats; out of the thirty-five imitation Magnificats with reliably established sources, the Praeter rerum seriem is one of only eight based on a motet by a composer other than Lasso. It is also one of only eight in which the model itself was derived from existing music. Because of the wide variety of models used by Lasso, it is difficult to guess at his reasons for choosing his sources; nonetheless, especially in cases where the source is somewhat unusual, (as in the Praeter rerum seriem Magnificat) it may be worthwhile to examin e the historical context surrounding the pieceÕs composition for clues into LassoÕs rationale. In this case, according to David Crook, it seems likely that Lasso was attracted to this motet (as well to the another motet of Josquin he employed, the Benedicta es ), by the presence of Mary in the original text. (Crook 25)..

During the period in which Lasso composed his imitation Magnificats, the figure of the Virgin Mary was taking on an increasing significance in Bavaria. According to Crook, veneration of Mary experienced a severe decline during the first half of the sixteenth century, with the low point in that decline occurring during the beginning of the reign of Albrecht V, around 1550. However, over the course of the next several decades, the Virgin was returned to a place of prominence. Although this trend did not reach its height until the reign of Maxmillian during the early seventeenth century, much of its existence can be attributed to the religious devotion of Albrecht V , and his successor Wilhelm V (Crook 67). While it is not known exactly when Praeter rerum seriem was composed (it first appears in a Munich manuscript in 1582), its composition may well be related to the revival in Marian worship, and the religious attitudes of Bavaria's rulers. This possibility is made more plausible by a separate reference to the Josquin motet within the Bavarian court: a letter written in 1557 (a year after Lasso joined the court at Munich) from Albrecht V thanking Ercole II d'Este for sending a Mass by Rore based on Praeter rerum seriem -- a mass specifically requested by Albrecht (Crook 24). Thus, it seems quite possible that Lasso's Magnificat was also composed at the request of Albrecht. Albrecht's mention of the positive impression made by another polyphonic piece from the same model, combined with the uncharacteristic nature of the model among Lasso' other works in the genre and the fact that the other piece which is drawn from a similar source and appears at roughly the same time (the Benedicta es Magnificat, No. 69) also features the Virgin Mary, would seem to indicate a strong possibility that the model for the this particular Magnificat was chosen primarily as a result of its Marian theme, and of its connection with both the subject of the Magnificat canticle itself, and the religious attitudes then gaining ascendance within the Bavarian court.

While Lasso's selection of a model may have been a result of his religious and political surroundings, his attitude towards the model itself (particularly the musical aspects of the model) is more clearly expressed by his approach to the derivation of new music from the existing material. David Crook maintains that for Lasso, the composition of an imitation Magnificat was not merely a presentation of older material in a different form, but a type of musical commentary on the original --- "the way in which Lasso developed a model's potential tells us something about the way he viewed the model itself" (Crook 207). In examining the connections between the model and the Magnificat, it is possible to gain an appreciation for what Lasso saw as worthy of emphasis, as well as of his own creative process.

The polyphonic portion of the Magnificat Praeter rerum seriem (the first, and subsequent odd numbered verses are set as monophonic chants ), as is typical of Lasso's works in the genre (Crook 158), begins with essentially musical material from the model. The Magnificat preserves more or less literally the rising and falling scales and dotted rhythm of the motet. The two begin to diverge towards the end of the phrase, with the appearance of shorter, more rapid figures, but Lasso maintains the same general harmonic pattern by, and returns to more or less literal imitation with the reappearance of the original motif, and descending leaps in the bass ( Josquin , Lasso ) Another obvious point of similarity in the opening section is the use of the plainchant "Praeter rerum seriem" as a cantus firmus in both the motet and the Magnificat (in the cantus, as well as in other places throughout the piece, Lasso is obliged to alter the rhythm in order to accommodate different numbers of syllables, but he maintains the melodic shape). Lasso, like Josquin, alternates the cantus firmus between the tenor and the cantus. This is the general pattern which Lasso's imitation follows throughout the piece: a fairly faithful representation of the most basic and prominent elements of the model, with the music becoming more free as it becomes more complex; for example, the second line of the first verse, which again begin with essentially the same music, but diverge more rapidly( Josquin , Lasso ). According to Crook, this sort if treatment is typical of Lasso's approach throughout the genre: "Many verses begin with an easily recognizable passage from the model that then develops in a direction not pursued in the original." (Crook 169).

Lasso also seems to take this sort of approach in determining the overall structure of the material within the Magnificat(i.e. the order in which the sections of the model are treated) ; the order of the musical material approximates Josquin's at the beginning but changes further along in the piece. In the Praeter rerum seriem Magnificat, the music for the first verse is derived from the music for the first two lines of the Josquin. However, after that point Lasso begins to change the order; for the second verse he uses music from the beginning of the second part of the motet, skipping ahead considerably. Lasso seems to have chosen this because he wants this music to be very closely linked to its model in the motet; thus, in addition to imitating Josquin's music literally, he also places it after the first significant break, as it appears in the model ( Josquin , Lasso ). In this case, Lasso has sacrificed the original structure of the motet, in order to create a more clear linkage between motifs that appear in both the model and the Magnificat.

The last verse of the Magnificat begins with a return to the characteristic material from the very beginning . The recurrence of an important theme from the beginning in the final section is an aspect that appears only in the Magnificat, and probably seemed necessary in order to make the Magnificat (which is well over twice as long as its model) seem more unified;. The last section is dominated, however, by music in triple meter, based on music from the concluding section of the motet as well. In this case, however, Lasso uses only the material from the first part of corresponding triple meter section, using the same technique of increasing the complexity and divergence of music over the course of the phrase that was seen earlier ( Josquin , Lasso ). Both motet and Magnificat return to duple meter just before the end, but in the case of the Magnificat, once again, the music in this area is derived directly from the corresponding point in model although it is not a literal quotation; for instance, the fact that almost all the intervals in the concluding few measures of the Lasso are fourths creates a much stronger plagal feeling and sense of finality then is the case in the last few measures of the motet, which are basically plagal cadences but conclude with a descending third. ( Josquin , Lasso ).

In general, Lasso's approach to derivation of musical material is predominantly based on the emphasis and conspicuous use of important motives from the model at the most prominent places in the Magnificat, with more independently created music appearing in the middle of phrases or sections, and in the middle section of the work. Lasso does not seem particularly interested in preserving the structure of the original work; he only maintains the chronological location of music from the model in places where a change in order would be noticeable (such as the very beginning or very end) and is willing to alter that order to serve a creative or expressive purpose (such as creating a greater feel of completion by referring back to the original music in the final section). He is willing, even when quoting almost directly, to make changes in the music itself for practical or aesthetic reasons; for example, changing the rhythm and number of notes in a line to accommodate the new text, or altering the concluding cadence to give a greater feeling of finality.

If Lasso's imitation of a model truly is, as Crook states, a form of commentary, then his approach can tell us something about his particular view of Josquin's motet. While it is possible that Lasso was attracted to this particular source by the content of the text, his willingness to rearrange the order of the material to suit the musical purposes of the Magnificat seems to indicate that Lasso as a composer was more interested in reinterpreting musical material of the motet than in drawing thematic connection between the text of one and the other. Despite the fact that both the motet and the Magnificat revolve around the figure of Mary, it is difficult to see any direct connections between music and text that appear in both; in addition, the lines of text which Lasso chooses to set to entirely new music seem equally arbitrarily chosen. Some of the musical material itself may have a sort of thematic content: The retaining of the cantus firmus from the original, for instance, may be an implicit reference to an older musical and religious tradition. However, while the source of the Praeter rerum seriem text is and unusual one for Lasso, the imitative techniques he uses in the composition of the Magnificat are very typical of his approach, and seemed to be based almost entirely on finding a new use for the most striking musical material of the model, rather than relaying the overall textual content or structure of the original in any meaningful form. Although the historical circumstances suggest that Lasso's text may have been chosen at least partly for religious reasons, his "commentary" (through imitation) on the motet is essentially a musical commentary.