We have discussed how music was about to be composed, where John Dunstable was  the one to finally determine the direction of “composed” polyphonic music. The Missa l’homme armee from Dufay was composed near the end of his life, and reveals an astonishing complexity. I took the score and listened to the music. I admit, this is the 1^st time I take my time to “analyse” the music, or to put it differently, experience listening to this music. Because lets be straight, it is not a “tuny” music, you can hardly whistle any of the phrases. I find that important in music, when you are able to follow the musical argument, its development, you can increase your appreciation. That certainly applies to music from say 1600 till 1900, with development of modern music this changes. A typical Schönberg piece works different, if experienced in a different way. But even up to today there are so many composer that think in melodic lines, maybe we will forget at one day that there were composers who saw music as an intellectual exercise instead of a highly emotional experience!

 

Maybe the Dufay mass is in this way more intellectual, let’s find out. I give you some clues about this music. First there is the homme armee melody. The background is described here:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'homme_arm%C3%A9

 

It is quite known from that period that masses were “based” on a popular tune, either clerical either worldly. But why on earth differs the same openings tune of every movement from the homme armee tune?

 

                        EXAMPLE 1: homme armee tune

 

 

                        EXAMPLE 2: openings of the 5 parts

 

The answer is simple and yet complex at the same time. We must go back to the essence of composing in those days. We are talking about a mass type that is called “cantus firmus”. This means that the melody is the fundament of the complete mass, there is a relation of the several parts.

First there is the tenor: they sing mostly long notes, with variations on the homme armee melody. But these are mostly only visible in the written notes, and hard to hear since it can be altered in note values.

Then the bassus was created as an extra harmonic fundament. It gave the possibility to greater harmonic variation. And above the tenor there are the altus and soprano. Funny how that did not chance these 600 years onwards.

 

Now we have the origin of a musical argument, the homme armee melody. There are

several points in the music where we can clearly distinguish the homme armee melody, as you will find out when you listen to my extracts. But the funny thing is we are talking about mostly mathematical approach still, also Ockeghem is like that. Only with Josquin des Prez we are entering a new world, where melodies are more recognizable as “songs” (sorry to say so, they can be more whistled, more emotional appreciated).

 

Now lets listen to an experts opinion:

 

As in all four of Dufay's late cantus firmus masses, the central organizational device is a pre-existent melody in the tenor voice, stated at least once in each of the five Mass movements. Unlike the Missa Se la face ay pale, however (and unlike the more overt cantus firmus statements in Busnois and Ockeghem's L'homme armé masses), Dufay twists and disguises the chanson melody, altering it, ornamenting it, and subjecting it to a dazzling array of compositional permutations

 

 

If you think you can manage, read the next detailed description. Again, even after listening 10 – 20 times I cannot figure this out. Interesting but not important for experiencing the piece itself!

 

Dufay apportions the tripartite structure of the L'homme armé melody across the three sections of the Kyrie, with tenor cantus firmus entries sneaking in from adjacent bass notes, hiding among melodic similarities permeating other voices, and elaborated with a "tag" in Kyrie I and a diminution of the melody appended to Kyrie II.

 

Explained in laymen terms: Dufay apportions the tripartite structure of the L'homme armé melody across the three sections of the Kyrie. - This means that the original L'homme arme melody is in three parts, and in the three parts of the Kyrie, Dufay works with each of those parts respectively :)with tenor cantus firmus entries sneaking in from adjacent bass notes - What this means is that the tenor line sometimes starts on the same note or right next to a note in the bass. hiding among melodic similarities permeating other voices, and elaborated with a "tag" in Kyrie I and a diminution of the melody appended to Kyrie II. - A diminution just means that the rhythm is changed so that each note is half its original value.

All very interesting when you are analyzing the music, once listening it is without real meaning.

The entire melody appears twice in the Gloria, once with melodic ornamentation and shuffled rhythmic values, and a second time with further rhythmic alteration. The opening duo of this movement (and that of the following Credo) uses the motto opening first heard in the Kyrie, lending some audible support to the cyclic structure. The Credo movement follows a similar pattern to the Gloria: opening with a tremendously long duo, continuing with a structure containing an identical cantus firmus statement, and climaxing in a rhythmically intense third statement in diminution and a long free-composed "tag." Sanctus presents fragments of the tenor melody only at first, but then a complete statement without any alteration in the second Osanna. The most celebrated compositional fancy in this setting occurs in the third Agnus Dei movement, Dufay's famous "crab canon." The tenor voice is given the familiar L'homme armé tune, with a Latin inscription "Cancer eat plenus sed redeat medius," translated "The Crab goes out full but comes back half." Part of the solution to this witty instruction involves rhythmic diminution: the "coming back," or second statement of the melody, should halve all rhythmic values. But the crustacean invocation indicates a further complexity: retrograde motion the first time, as the crab "goes out" walking backwards. Dufay's clever gambit certainly sparked a tradition of competition and compositional challenge in the nascent family of L'homme armé mass settings.

 

 

Now that is dazzling language! If you read a text like that you are eager to hear the music in full, and I promise you will not understand it! Why use words, let’s take some of this comment and listen to the parts I selected for you to demonstrate how this music works:

 

There are 5 parts:

 

 

 

Part 1: Kyrie (website)

I selected 4 examples, they are separated by fade in and out

Ex 1: End of 1^st strophe (4 voices), start of slow 2 voice soloi

Ex 2: 1^st entry of the faint echo of the homme armee melody (there might be more, but its hard to discover)

Ex 3: the Kyrie returns to full power after the previous slow part

Ex 4: the power stays until the end of the Kyrie

 

 

 

Part 2 Gloria

The Gloria is a more peaceful part, more slow moving and intimate. More beauty I would say

Ex 1: after the introduction we start with a slow moving piece

Ex2: starts with rich ornamentation, moves into even slower part

Ex 3: now a truly beautiful melody in the top voices

Ex 4: back into a complex motion, in full swing

Ex 5: the motion goes on towards the end, very elaborate

 

 

 

Part 3 Credo

Ex 1: where to begin. The credo moves slowly, so beautiful and elegant

Ex 2: 4 voices, mixing so beautifully

Ex 3: a wonderful section where we have a sequence of 3 moods, in the middle a fabulous section of 2 male voices, including bass

Ex 4: The l’homme armee melody can be heard

Ex 5: Amen, a great ending

 

 

 

 

Part 4 Sanctus

Ex 1: opening, beautiful and profane

Ex 2: slow and divine, 4 voices

 

 

 

 

Ex 3: the famous imitation technique can clearly be heard, “Gloria” is repeated 3 times

Ex 4: finally, the l’homme armee melody in its full glory, repeated twice by the male voices, leading a great ending 

 

 

 

 

Part 5 Gloria:

Ex 1: opening, listen to male voices, wonderful dramatic melody

Ex 2: 2^nd time, now a wonderful procession

Ex 3: the style is so similar to the opening, so slowly and moving. This is the famous part

The most celebrated compositional fancy in this setting occurs in the third Agnus Dei movement, Dufay's famous "crab canon." The tenor voice is given the familiar L'homme armé tune, with a Latin inscription "Cancer eat plenus sed redeat medius," translated "The Crab goes out full but comes back half." Part of the solution to this witty instruction involves rhythmic diminution: the "coming back," or second statement of the melody, should halve all rhythmic values. But the crustacean invocation indicates a further complexity: retrograde motion the first time, as the crab "goes out" walking backwards. Dufay's clever gambit certainly sparked a tradition of competition and compositional challenge in the nascent family of L'homme armé mass settings.

Ex 4: again, the l’homme armee makes its entry, now to complete the piece , Dona nobis Pacem, give us peace

 

all excerpts are by the Oxford Camerata

 

The full mass on youtube:

http://www.allmusic.com/composition/missa-lhomme-arm%C3%A9-for-4-voices-mc0002361755