In the province of Hainaut, Belgium around 1440, Josquin Desprez was born. His first dominant position he held was to become choirmaster to Duke Ecole I of Ferrara. This is the time where he began to write most of his music. He received musical training at Cambrai, France and was now putting it to good use. He wrote motets, chansons, masses, a handful of instrumental pieces, and Italian ‘s (part song’s).
In April of 1505, at the duke’s death, Josquin became provost of the collegiate church of Notre Dame in Conde.
He lived the rest of his life there until he died at Conde-sur-l’Escaut on August 27, 1521. Josquin wrote 100 motets throughout his lifetime. One of the most important forms of polyphonic music from circa 1250 to 1750. It originated in the 13 th century in the practice of Perot in and his contemporaries at Notre Dame, Paris, of adding words to the upper voice or voices of a Claus ula, with a plainchant tenor (‘motet’ derives from the French mot, ‘word’).
Sometimes two upper voices had different words.
At first Latin texts, mainly concerning the Virgin, were used, but French secular texts became common as the motet shed its connection with church and liturgy. With the notational reforms of the late 13 th century, motets with tenors rhythmically similar to the upper voices, or which quote secular songs and dances, became possible. Several motet types flourished in France, but these reduced to one definitive type capable of much variety in the reforms of Philippe de Vitro. Desprez’s motets show a preference for French texts and use Iso rhythm in the tenor and occasionally the upper parts as well; this became increasingly common in the late 14 th century, as did rhythmic refinements. Many large-scale and complex ‘mensuration motets’ are found in English and French sources of the late 14 th century and early 15 th; Duffy, in his 14 iso rhythmic and mensuration motets, achieved a magnificent synthesis of numerically constructed cantus firm us polyphony with the new techniques that hastened its decline.
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In 49 of the motets he used a plainsong melody. His masses and early motets were essentially in four parts, he did write five and six part motets as well, but they were less common. One early four part motet Victim ae paschal i laud es (1502) exemplifies his early style with dense texture and lack of imitation. His early motets were very plain with not much rhythmic movement. As he wrote more and more, Josquin developed a greater maturity in his music. The more he wrote the better each piece was.
It is noticeable to the listener that each motet, for instance, becomes more involved and advanced. Homophony and imitative passages began to be recognized in his works an example being Planxit aut em David. Absalom, fili mi, another example also began to show his new style along with interesting texture combinations. Later motets, such as In principi o erat verb um, combines intensity which was lacking before and melodic succinctness with formal clarity (Sadie).
These motets were either freely composed, four-part settings of biblical texts, or large scale cantus firm us pieces. Josquin’s motet style characterized the 16 th century after him (Britannica).
Something else Josquin elaborated on was the use of six voices in his motets. His subtle variation of texture is used to achieve a maximum of expression. Josquin began to pave the way to the modern sense of tonality, through both his motets and his masses. Josquin wrote twenty masses that have survived complete. Of those twenty, seventeen were printed in his lifetime in three sets (1502, 1505, 1514) by Ottaviano dei Petrucci. His masses combine elements of cantus firm us, parody, and paraphrase techniques (Sadie).
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One of his earliest masses, L’ami Baudichon, is a cantus firm us mass on a simple dance formula. His masses recall the Burgundian style of the 1450’s and 1460’s because of his simple use of melody and rhythm and the clarity of harmony and texture. Some forms which Josquin used in the chants within his masses were antiphons and sequences. Seventy French chansons were written by Josquin. In his chansons, Josquin was the primary exponent of a new style in the mid 15 th century.
Secular songs began to apply canon and counterpoint techniques. This was a new concept which previous composers tried, but had trouble accomplishing. Josquin went one step further in his own direction and decided not to use the traditional rondo and ballad forms. Though few of his chansons are set chord ally rather than polyphonically, many others are great examples of five and six voice counterpoint, which are straightforward, maintain sharp rhythms, and a clear texture (Britannica)..
