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Welcome to Harmonia . . . I’m Angela Mariani. This hour, we’re continuing an exploration of popular tunes that you could say had gone “viral” centuries ago. The fifteenth-century song “D’ung aultre amer” is one of those tunes, starting as a rondeau composed by Johannes Ockeghem and then popping up in all sorts of places. This hour, we’ll get acquainted with the song and its progeny.

After that, on our featured recording, we’ll hear music from the completion of the Tallis Scholars’ 34-year project: recording the complete masses of Josquin des Prez.

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MUSIC TRACK 
Renaissance Dance
Early Music Consort of London, Munrow
Virgin France 2008 / B000CEBOQ8
Giovanni Prioli
D. 2, Tr. 13 Canzona prima a 12 (4:45)

The Early Music Consort of London, under its director David Munrow, played Giovanni Priuli’s Canzona prima a 12 on their 2008 Virgin France recording Renaissance Dance, a re-release of music originally recorded in the 1970’s and released on LP.

“D’ung aultre amer” is a song from the fifteenth century that found its way into the work of several composers. It first appeared as a rondeau composed by Johannes Ockeghem and is found in nearly every important chansonnier of the time, so it was clearly well-known. As happened so often with popular songs, other Renaissance composers seized the opportunity to make it their own, and “D’ung aultre amer” appears in instrumental and vocal music by the likes of Tinctoris, Spinaccino, Agricola, and especially Josquin des Prez.

Most people who care about this sort of thing agree that the original 3-voice setting of “D’ung aultre amer” was composed by Johannes Ockeghem, though it is not at all clear who wrote the words to the rondeau, in which the poet declares that they could never possibly love another. Let’s hear the full rondeau sung by members of the ensemble Alamire.

MUSIC TRACK
JOSQUIN DES PREZ: Missa D'ung aultre amer / Motets / Chansons
Alamire, David Skinner
Obsidian 2007 / B01M5HR8Y6
Ockeghem
Tr. 1 D'ung aultre amer (5:09)

The ensemble Alamire, directed by David Skinner, performed Johannes Ockeghem’s “D’ung autre amer” on the 2007 Obsidian recording entitled--despite the fact that we just heard Ockeghem---JOSQUIN DES PREZ: Missa D'ung aultre amer / Motets / Chansons. 

One of the ways a tune got around in the pre-litigious past was that other composers made their own arrangements of the song, using whatever bits they chose from the model. Sometimes the result is clearly recognizable, other times not so much. Francesco Spinaccino, in his second book of lute intabulations, takes the melody and plays around it in this arrangement of the piece for plucked instruments.

MUSIC TRACK
Johannes Tinctoris: Secret Consolations
Le Miroir de Musique, Baptiste Romain
Ricercar, 2017 / B0711M8KQ9
Spinaccino
Tr.14 Dung autramer (1:38)

The ensemble Le Miroir de Musique performed Spinaccino’s take on the song “D’ung autre amer.”

Johannes Tinctoris, on the other hand, takes the tenor part of Ockeghem’s original and adds an ornamental second voice full of rhythmic challenges - the result sounds very improvisatory in a fifteenth century sort of way...

MUSIC TRACK 
Johannes Tinctoris: Secret Consolations
Le Miroir de Musique, Baptiste Romain
Ricercar, 2017 /B0711M8KQ9
J. Tinctoris
Tr. 15 D'un autre amer (1:32)

We heard two very different versions of Ockeghem’s rondeau “D’ung aultre amer,” one by Francesco Spinaccino, the other by Johannes Tinctoris, performed by the ensemble Le Miroir de Musique, directed by Baptiste Romain.

Alexander Agricola has left us four wonderfully varied settings of “D’ung aultre amer,” of which we’ll hear three. The first, in four parts, is dense and dissonant, and you can hardly follow the tenor part.

MUSIC TRACK
Agricola: Chansons
Fretwork
HM usa 2006
Agricola
Tr. 18 Dung aultre amer II (1:37)

Fretwork played a four-part setting of “D’ung aultre amer” by Alexander Agricola, on the 2006 Harmonia Mundi USA release Agricola: Chansons.

Another setting found in the same manuscript is in 3 parts and abandons Ockeghem’s tenor completely. The middle voice begins with a quote from the upper voice of Ockeghem and the piece mirrors the phrase structure of the original, but “D’ung aultre amer” is pretty far away…

MUSIC TRACK
AGRICOLA, A.: Missa in myne Zyn
Capilla Flamenca
Ricercar 2010
Agricola
Tr. 8 D’ung aultre amer III (1:51)

We heard a 3-part setting of “D’ung aultre amer” performed by Capilla Flamenca.

Agricola’s other three-part setting returns to Ockeghem’s tenor, this time surrounding it with two virtuosic voices.

MUSIC TRACK 
Alexander Agricola: A Secret Labyrinth
Huelgas Ensemble, Paul Van Nevel
Sony Bmg Europe / 2007 / B000026BUG
Agricola
Tr. 3 D'ung aultre amer a 3 (1:10)

The Huelgas Ensemble, directed by Paul Van Nevel, rose to the challenge of Agricola’s second three-part setting of “D’ung aultre amer” on their 2007 CD Alexander Agricola: A Secret Labyrinth.

In the hands of Josquin, “D’ung aultre amer” turns into something else entirely, and it happens more than once. Here, for example, is a motet of Josquin’s that takes our now familiar tune and combines it with the well-known Easter sequence Victimae paschali laudes.

MUSIC TRACK
JOSQUIN DES PREZ: Missa D'ung aultre amer / Motets / Chansons
Alamire, David Skinner
Obsidian 2007 / B01M5HR8Y6
Josquin
Tr. 17 Victimae paschali laudes - D'ung aultre amer (4:01)

Josquin’s Victimae paschali/D'ung aultre amer, sung by the ensemble Alamire, directed by David Skinner.

Josquin doesn’t stop there. Listen to his elevation motet Tu solus qui facis. At the beginning of the second part, Josquin sets the words with an unmistakeable quote from Ockeghem.

MUSIC TRACK 
Josquin Desprez - Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae / Motets
Hilliard Ensemble, Paul Hillier
Angel 2004 / B00018ZRYU
Josquin
D. 2 Tr. 10 Tu solus, qui facis (4:48)

The Hilliard Ensemble sang Josquin’s motet Tu solus, qui facis.

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Theme Music Bed: Ensemble Alcatraz, Danse Royale, Elektra Nonesuch 79240-2 / B000005J0B, T.12: La Prime Estampie Royal

Early music can mean a lot of things. What does it mean to you? Let us know your thoughts and ideas. Contact us at harmonia early music dot org, where you’ll also find playlists and an archive of past shows.

You’re listening to Harmonia . . .  I’m Angela Mariani.

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MUSIC TRACK
Johannes Tinctoris: Secret Consolations
Le Miroir de Musique, Baptiste Romain
Ricercar, 2017 / B0711M8KQ9
Johannes Tinctoris
Tr.11 Fecit potentiam (1:03) 

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Welcome back. We’re exploring the fifteenth-century song “D’ung autre amer” this hour on Harmonia.

Josquin’s Missa D’ung aultre amer, published by Petrucci in 1503, is a marvel of brevity. The entire Mass fits easily into 15 minutes. It is missing its Benedictus and second Hosanna, probably reflecting the Milanese practice that allows the substitution of a motet for those parts - and that motet could certainly be the one we just heard [before the break]. Let’s hear the Kyrie and Gloria from this mass, marveling in particular that the former is longer than the latter.

MUSIC TRACK 
Josquin Deprez « Tempus fugit… », Vol. 8, Messes Ave maris stella et D’ung aultre amer
Ensembles vocaux Biscantor! & Métamorphoses
Ar Ré-Sé, 2020 / B08JYG2YL5
Josquin
Tr. 10 Missa D’ung aultre amer: Kyrie (2:25)
Tr. 11 Missa D’ung aultre amer: Gloria (1:23)

We heard the Kyrie and Gloria of Josquin’s Missa D’ung aultre amer sung by Ensembles vocaux Biscantor! and Métamorphoses. 

Here’s the Credo of the mass; by contrast, we’ll hear a version sung by ensemble Alamire.

MUSIC TRACK
JOSQUIN DES PREZ: Missa D'ung aultre amer / Motets / Chansons
Alamire, David Skinner
Obsidian / 2007 / B01M5HR8Y6
Josquin
Tr. 4 Missa D'ung aultre amer Credo (3:45) 

Alamire, directed by David Skinner, sang the Credo of Josquin’s Missa D’ung aultre amer [on their 2007 recording, JOSQUIN DES PREZ: Missa D'ung aultre amer /Motets / [and] Chansons].

Wrapping up our exploration of Ockeghem’s chanson with Josquin’s mass setting conveniently gives us a common thread to weave into our featured release this hour. 34 years after their first recording of Josquin masses, the Tallis Scholars have released their 2020 Gimell recording Josquin: Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie - Missa D'ung aultre amer - Missa Faysant regretz, which completes their herculean project of recording ALL of Josquin’s masses. Let’s begin by hearing the remaining Sanctus and Agnus of the Missa D'ung aultre amer.

MUSIC TRACK
Josquin: Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie - Missa D'ung aultre amer - Missa Faysant regretz
Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips
Gimell, 2020 / B08FKPGVW6
Josquin
Tr. 23 Missa D’ung aultre – 4. Sanctus and Agnus (1:46)
Tr. 29 Missa D’ung aultre – 6a. Agnus Dei 1 (:57)
Tr. 30 Missa D’ung aultre – 6a. Agnus Dei 2 (:45)
Tr. 31 Missa D’ung aultre – 6a. Agnus Dei 3 (1:04)

The Tallis Scholars, directed by Peter Phillips, star in our featured release this week, their ninth and final recording of the masses of Josquin. We just heard the Sanctus and Agnus of the Missa D’ung aultre amer.

The two other masses that comprise the recording are much more substantial, and we’ll hear a bit of each one. The Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie is built from an 8-note cantus firmus based on the name of Ercole d’Este I of Ferrara.

MUSIC TRACK
Josquin: Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie - Missa D'ung aultre amer - Missa Faysant regretz
Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips
Gimell, 2020 / B08FKPGVW6
Josquin
Tr. 1 Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie – 1a. Kyrie 1 (1:06)
Tr. 2 Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie – 1b. Christe (:45)
Tr. 3 Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie – 1c. Kyrie 2 (:54)

That was the Kyrie of Josquin’s Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae.

In Josquin’s Missa Faysant regretz, he plays once again with borrowed material – in this case a four-note motif from a Burgundian song, and we’ll end this hour with the beautiful and substantial Agnus dei from this mass, into which one could fit half of the entire Missa D’ung aultre amer!

MUSIC TRACK
Josquin: Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie - Missa D'ung aultre amer - Missa Faysant regretz
Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips
Gimell, 2020 / B08FKPGVW6
Josquin
Tr. 45 Missa Faysant regretz – 5a. Agnus Dei 1 (1:10)
Tr. 46 Missa Faysant regretz – 5b. Agnus Dei 2 (1:29)
Tr. 47 Missa Faysant regretz – 5c. Agnus Dei 3 (3:10)

That was the Agnus Dei from the Missa Faysant regretz. We’ve been listening to our featured release, the 2020 Tallis Scholars’ last of nine CDs of the complete masses of Josquin, called Josquin: Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie - Missa D'ung aultre amer - Missa Faysant regret. Peter Phillips has shepherded the ensemble through the entire project, released on the Gimell label.

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Harmonia is a production of WFIU and part of the educational mission of Indiana University.

Support comes from Early Music America: a national organization that advocates and supports the historical performance of music of the past, the community of artists who create it, and the listeners whose lives are enriched by it. On the web at EarlyMusicAmerica-dot-org.

Additional resources come from the William and Gayle Cook Music Library at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

We welcome your thoughts about any part of this program, or about early music in general. Contact us at harmonia early music dot org. You can follow us on Facebook by searching for Harmonia Early Music.

The writer for this edition of Harmonia was Wendy Gillespie.

Thanks to our studio engineer Michael Paskash, and our production team: LuAnn Johnson, Wendy Gillespie, Aaron Cain, and John Bailey. I’m Angela Mariani, inviting you to join us again for the next edition of Harmonia.

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