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For many pupils, the study of early music began with the study of Josquin himself; he personified the genre, his music provided the raison d’être for numerous college-bred Renaissance performance ensembles, especially small choirs interested in the sacred music of that era.

During his own lifetime, Josquin was the recipient of critical high praise for his emotionally charged and cleverly invented motets and masses. He picked up major endorsements by Castiglione, Bartoli, Zarlino, Rabelais, Glarean and Luther. Superlatives such as “Prince of Music,” “genius,” “transcendent” and “soulful” were frequently applied to the man and his work. Across 500 years, these haven’t let up. Despite such universal reverence, and even though large volumes of research have been produced by numerous Josquin scholars devoted to ferreting out truth about the man, less is known for certain than is open to speculation and debate. The man’s very name is subject to much conjecture. Variations of it found in print make the more widely known derivatives of Shakespeare’s name seem unimaginative.

Josquin’s true surname has been determined to be Lebloitte. Guesswork continues as to where he was born, somewhere within northern France and the Low Countries. It would be a great understatement, if not a great pun, to say that Josquin kept a “low” profile. He did at times leave clues, however. In a motet he composed, the letters I-O-S-Q-U-I-N-D-P-R-E-Z can be found simply by taking the first letter of each verse and reading down. Later in the same motet, letters that approximate the name of a river (Escaut) near Saint Quentin can also be read acrostically. Josquin may have been at the royal collegiate church of Saint Quentin.

His date of birth has been put at c1450. “Or perhaps a few years later,” according to the New Grove. (If we say 1454, then we can celebrate the man at 550 this year!)

It is reasonably clear that Josquin came under the sway of Johannes Ockeghem, if not through direct study with him, then at least by listening to the venerable composer’s works. Ockeghem’s influence can be heard in Josquin’s motet “Tu solus qui facis mirabilia,” which Musick’s Company will sing. Josquin created a famously beautiful setting of Jean Molinet’s lamentation on the death of Ockeghem, which Musick’s Company will also perform.

In his mid-twenties, Josquin was a singer in Aix-en-Provence, employed by the Duke of Anjou. Later he may have sung under contract to French King Louis XI in the Ste. Chapelle. In his mid-thirties, Josquin is found in Milan at the household of Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, whom he accompanied to Rome. From there Josquin may have returned to Paris. He was also rumored to have been in Hungary during this time, when many Italian musicians were being brought into Budapest.

In 1489 Josquin went to the papal chapel in Rome, where he sang in the service of two popes over a documented period of six years. Here he composed several sacred works, including a setting of “Ave maris stella” (a motet popular on Center Christmas concerts). Subsequently Josquin likely went back to Milan and Cardinal Ascanio. His frottola “El grillo,” an always-popular Musick’s Company hit, can be dated to this period (the 15-oughts).

Some speculation puts Josquin back in service with the King of France — at court with Louis XII. This theory attributes Josquin’s great motet “Memor esto verbi tui” (text from Psalm 118) to be a thinly veiled dig at the King, who reputedly was waffling on his promise of a benefice for Josquin. The words mean “remember your word to your servant.”

In 1503 Josquin was back in Italy, appointed maestro di cappella in Ferrara — a position for which he competed with Heinrich Isaac. Due to the appearance of plague in the city, Josquin departed Ferrara one year later. From 1504 until his death in 1521, Josquin was settled in a very good position at Notre Dame, Condé-sur-l’Escaut, a collegiate church highly regarded for its music. He served as provost and presided over a top-notch choir. This was a very long time for the man to be anywhere; he must have liked it.

Anecdotes abound of Josquin’s sometimes acidic personality. He felt at home in skewering solo singers and whole choirs if he thought they were embellishing his lines either insufficiently or over-muchly. The 16th-century Swiss theorist Heinrich Glarean referred to Josquin as a perfectionistic composer who labored obsessively on his compositions, holding them back from publication for long periods of time. He also compared Josquin to Vergil because of his command of the complete emotional range found in his works.

The major vocal work slated for performance by Musick’s Company is the masterful motet “Miserere mei, Deus” — which has been cited as a “great psalm setting” employing “an exceptional cantus firmus.” The cantus firmus consists of the intonation of the “Miserere” text on two pitches a tone apart. Throughout the motet, the phrase shifts a step at a time down an octave, then up again, and finally down a fifth. It provides a stunning litany-like refrain as four other voices weave the verses of a long penitential psalm text. The piece was written for Ercole, Duke of Ferrara, c1504; thus our performance marks its approximate 500th anniversary!

In his secular work, as well as the sacred, Josquin liked to compose on melodies that were already out there — monophonic ‘pop’ tunes as well as plainsong chant. Instrumental versions of “Bergerette savoyenne,” “Adieu mes amours, “ “A l’ombre d’ung buissonet,” “Je sey bien dire” and others will be heard, all based on chanson tunes.

As Josquin had paid tribute to Ockeghem, his own death was lamented by a number of 16th-century composers, including Nicolas Gombert.

If imitation is flattery, Josquin can be seen as possibly the most highly-complimented composer of all time. In fact, innumerable chansons and motets that were originally published under the man’s name have since been proved inauthentic. Martin Luther is believed to have quipped that Josquin put out more works after he died than he did while alive.

Printed editions of Josquin’s works were much in demand during his lifetime. In fact, the very first published collection of works by any single composer was a volume of Josquin’s Masses, in 1502. Multiple Josquin volumes were later published at a time when one volume per composer was the standard.

Josquin’s signature was recently uncovered, amid the names of numerous other papal singers carved into a choir stall in the Sistine Chapel. It is now believed that this is very likely an authentic autograph, the only such, of Josquin des Prez.

Of those many names found carved in this epicenter of the Renaissance spiritual world, only Josquin’s can be ranked as a Renaissance genius with Michelangelo himself and Leonardo da Vinci. In my book, Josquin is the Man. His name is code for man of low profile; musical architect of highest inventive proficiency.

- Reed Ruchman

Sources:

• The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd edition, 2001)

• The Josquin Companion, Richard Scherr, ed. (Oxford, 2000)

• Source Readings in Music History: The Renaissance, Oliver Strunk, ed. (Norton, 1965)

For links to Josquin on the web, see:

Classical Music Pages

Classical Net

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A NOTE ON THE PERFORMERS:

For this program, our motet choir/chanson ensemble will consist of sixteen voices; the instrumental consort will include our recorder quartet, a viol duo, portative organ and lute. Musick’s Company welcomes newest member Nikos Pappas playing treble viol in this concert. (He’s facile on multiple instruments and enjoys shape note singing too!)

A NOTE ON FUNDRAISING: (HOW YOU CAN HELP AND DO SPRING CLEANING AT THE SAME TIME)

Judith Lesnaw is continuing her campaign for “stashed stuff” to peddle on the Center’s behalf. Last year she resurrected the “Bach Yard Sale” with much success; she’s already at work planning another. If you’ve got “stuff” to donate, especially in the music department (scores, sheet music, instruments, books, LPs and CDs), give her a call (269-5773) or email biojal@uky.edu. And thanks to all who contributed to or purchased from last year’s sale!