Sogetto cavato
Encyclopedia
Soggetto cavato is an innovative technique of Renaissance composer Josquin des Prez
that was later named by the theorist Zarlino in 1558 in his Le institutioni harmoniche as soggetto cavato dalle vocali di queste parole, or literally, a subject 'carved out of the vowels from these words.' It is an early example of a musical cryptogram
.
This technique relies on the use of syllable
s from solmization
. Guido of Arezzo
, an eleventh-century monk, proposed a set of syllables for teaching singers how to sight sing. The syllables, ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, were used to help the singers remember the pattern of whole tones and semitones. This technique, called solmization, is still used today with some minor changes, namely 'do' is used instead of 'ut,' and 'ti' is used above 'la.'
For implementation, Josquin used these solmization vowels to carve out his musical notes. Using the vowel of each solmization syllable, Josquin coupled the musical pitch of the solmization syllable with the vowel of text he wanted to represent. In the case of the Missa Hercules dux Ferrariae
, the text Josquin was trying to represent was Hercules Dux Ferrariae. Therefore, each vowel of those three words is coupled with the appropriate solmization syllable. The solmization syllables then determine the pitch to be used. Thus the subject is carved out of the vowels.
Hercules Dux Ferrariae
Her - re
cu - ut
les - re
Dux - ut
Fer - re
ra - fa
ri - mi
ae - re
re ut re ut re fa mi re
Once the soggetto cavato had been extracted from the text, the composer then used the pitches as a cantus firmus for the work. The Missa Hercules dux Ferrariae
is significant in that it is not only the most famous example of a sogetto cavato, but also the first. However, it is not the only time Josquin employed this technique. Josquin wrote other sogetto cavatos. He composed a secular piece using the phrase Vive le roi (ut, mi, ut, re, re, sol, mi – syllable ut used for letter v). His Missa La sol fa re mi
is a soggetto cavato with an associated story.
It seems that Josquin's patron, Cardinal Ascanio Sforza
, temporarily financially strapped, put off the composer's requests for payment with a reassuring "Lascia fare a me" (Leave it to me). Whereupon Josquin's friend, the Renaissance poet Serafino d’Aquila, translated the remark into its musical equivalent and incorporated it into a sonnet addressed to the composer.
One of Josquin's through-composed chanson
s, "Mi lares vous" has the first three syllables mi, la, re in four of the five voices. And finally, his motet
Illibata Dei virgo uses Josquin own name as an acrostic in a poem concerning the Virgin Mary. The soggetto la mi la is derived from the name Maria.
The soggetto cavato technique was used by other composers as well and for similar reasons. In fact, Duke Ercole II of Ferrara had five such masses dedicated to him: two by Cipriano de Rore
, one by Lupus
, one by Maitre Jan and one by Jacquet of Mantua
. All five pieces without exception get their inspiration from Josquin's mass. The last one mentioned by Jacquet goes so far as even to quote Josquin several times and use the same sectional structure that Josquin used. However, even though Jacquet borrowed heavily from Josquin for his own version of the Hercules Mass, Jacquet did write another mass based on a sogetto cavato, Missa Ferdinandus dux Calabriae. But it seems Josquin's influence on Jacquet was strong, for this mass, too, shows many similarities to Josquin.
Lupus also seemed influenced by Josquin's soggetto cavato idea. In addition to his Hercules Mass, he wrote another sogetti cavati dedicated to Emperor Charles V
entitled Missa Carolus Imperator Romanorum Quintus.
Several composers used the technique without using the Hercules Dux cantus firmus. The composer Jacobus Vaet
wrote a work dedicated to Emperor Ferdinand of Austria based upon the soggetto 'Stat felix domus Austriae'. Adrian Willaert
also used a soggetto cavato in two motets for Duke Francesco II Sforza of Milan. One of Willaert's untitled masses may also be based on a sogetto cavato. Costanzo Festa's variations on La Spagna include a movement incorporating the names "Ferdinando" and "Isabella."
Although the soggetto cavato technique is interesting, it had limited use for composers. One of its limitations is the choice of pitches for each vowel. Each vowel only has one possible pitch choice with the exception of the a vowel, which could be fa or la. As mentioned previously Josquin's choice of text lends itself to a solid choice for a cantus firmus. Subsequent composers had considerable difficulty in making some of their soggetto cavatos work. On top of this difficulty was the changing nature of music at the time. The composers using the soggetto cavato technique were living in an era when music was becoming liberated from chant and the cantus firmus. Because the soggetto cavato was always used as a cantus firmus, it is not surprising that as the strict cantus firmus treatment fell into disuse, so did the soggetto cavato technique.
Josquin Des Prez
Josquin des Prez [Josquin Lebloitte dit Desprez] , often referred to simply as Josquin, was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance...
that was later named by the theorist Zarlino in 1558 in his Le institutioni harmoniche as soggetto cavato dalle vocali di queste parole, or literally, a subject 'carved out of the vowels from these words.' It is an early example of a musical cryptogram
Musical cryptogram
A musical cryptogram is a cryptogrammatic sequence of musical notes, a sequence which can be taken to refer to an extra-musical text by some 'logical' relationship, usually between note names and letters. The most common and best known examples result from composers using ciphered versions of their...
.
This technique relies on the use of syllable
Syllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
s from solmization
Solmization
Solmization is a system of attributing a distinct syllable to each note in a musical scale. Various forms of solmization are in use and have been used throughout the world.In Europe and North America, solfège is the convention used most often...
. Guido of Arezzo
Guido of Arezzo
Guido of Arezzo or Guido Aretinus or Guido da Arezzo or Guido Monaco or Guido d'Arezzo was a music theorist of the Medieval era...
, an eleventh-century monk, proposed a set of syllables for teaching singers how to sight sing. The syllables, ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, were used to help the singers remember the pattern of whole tones and semitones. This technique, called solmization, is still used today with some minor changes, namely 'do' is used instead of 'ut,' and 'ti' is used above 'la.'
For implementation, Josquin used these solmization vowels to carve out his musical notes. Using the vowel of each solmization syllable, Josquin coupled the musical pitch of the solmization syllable with the vowel of text he wanted to represent. In the case of the Missa Hercules dux Ferrariae
Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae
The Missa Hercules dux Ferrariae is a setting of the Ordinary of the Mass composed by Josquin des Prez, and dedicated to Ercole d'Este I, Duke of Ferrara...
, the text Josquin was trying to represent was Hercules Dux Ferrariae. Therefore, each vowel of those three words is coupled with the appropriate solmization syllable. The solmization syllables then determine the pitch to be used. Thus the subject is carved out of the vowels.
Hercules Dux Ferrariae
Her - re
cu - ut
les - re
Dux - ut
Fer - re
ra - fa
ri - mi
ae - re
re ut re ut re fa mi re
Once the soggetto cavato had been extracted from the text, the composer then used the pitches as a cantus firmus for the work. The Missa Hercules dux Ferrariae
Missa Hercules Dux Ferrariae
The Missa Hercules dux Ferrariae is a setting of the Ordinary of the Mass composed by Josquin des Prez, and dedicated to Ercole d'Este I, Duke of Ferrara...
is significant in that it is not only the most famous example of a sogetto cavato, but also the first. However, it is not the only time Josquin employed this technique. Josquin wrote other sogetto cavatos. He composed a secular piece using the phrase Vive le roi (ut, mi, ut, re, re, sol, mi – syllable ut used for letter v). His Missa La sol fa re mi
Missa La sol fa re mi
The Missa La sol fa re mi is a musical setting of the mass by Josquin des Prez, first published in 1502. It is one of his most famous masses, and one of the earliest and most renowned examples of the soggetto cavato technique – the technique of deriving musical notes from the syllables of a...
is a soggetto cavato with an associated story.
It seems that Josquin's patron, Cardinal Ascanio Sforza
Ascanio Sforza
Ascanio Maria Sforza Visconti was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church, generally known as a skilled diplomat who played a major role in the election of Rodrigo Borgia as Pope Alexander VI.-Early years:...
, temporarily financially strapped, put off the composer's requests for payment with a reassuring "Lascia fare a me" (Leave it to me). Whereupon Josquin's friend, the Renaissance poet Serafino d’Aquila, translated the remark into its musical equivalent and incorporated it into a sonnet addressed to the composer.
One of Josquin's through-composed chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
s, "Mi lares vous" has the first three syllables mi, la, re in four of the five voices. And finally, his motet
Motet
In classical music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions.-Etymology:The name comes either from the Latin movere, or a Latinized version of Old French mot, "word" or "verbal utterance." The Medieval Latin for "motet" is motectum, and the Italian...
Illibata Dei virgo uses Josquin own name as an acrostic in a poem concerning the Virgin Mary. The soggetto la mi la is derived from the name Maria.
The soggetto cavato technique was used by other composers as well and for similar reasons. In fact, Duke Ercole II of Ferrara had five such masses dedicated to him: two by Cipriano de Rore
Cipriano de Rore
Cipriano de Rore was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance, active in Italy...
, one by Lupus
Lupus Hellinck
Lupus Hellinck was a Flemish composer of the Renaissance. He was a prominent composer of masses, as well as German chorales and motets...
, one by Maitre Jan and one by Jacquet of Mantua
Jacquet of Mantua
Jacquet of Mantua was a French composer of the Renaissance, who spent almost his entire life in Italy...
. All five pieces without exception get their inspiration from Josquin's mass. The last one mentioned by Jacquet goes so far as even to quote Josquin several times and use the same sectional structure that Josquin used. However, even though Jacquet borrowed heavily from Josquin for his own version of the Hercules Mass, Jacquet did write another mass based on a sogetto cavato, Missa Ferdinandus dux Calabriae. But it seems Josquin's influence on Jacquet was strong, for this mass, too, shows many similarities to Josquin.
Lupus also seemed influenced by Josquin's soggetto cavato idea. In addition to his Hercules Mass, he wrote another sogetti cavati dedicated to Emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
entitled Missa Carolus Imperator Romanorum Quintus.
Several composers used the technique without using the Hercules Dux cantus firmus. The composer Jacobus Vaet
Jacobus Vaet
Jacobus Vaet was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance. He was a representative of the generation between Josquin and Palestrina, writing smooth polyphony with pervasive imitation, and he was a friend both of Clemens non Papa and Lassus.-Life:...
wrote a work dedicated to Emperor Ferdinand of Austria based upon the soggetto 'Stat felix domus Austriae'. Adrian Willaert
Adrian Willaert
Adrian Willaert was a Flemish composer of the Renaissance and founder of the Venetian School. He was one of the most representative members of the generation of northern composers who moved to Italy and transplanted the polyphonic Franco-Flemish style there....
also used a soggetto cavato in two motets for Duke Francesco II Sforza of Milan. One of Willaert's untitled masses may also be based on a sogetto cavato. Costanzo Festa's variations on La Spagna include a movement incorporating the names "Ferdinando" and "Isabella."
Although the soggetto cavato technique is interesting, it had limited use for composers. One of its limitations is the choice of pitches for each vowel. Each vowel only has one possible pitch choice with the exception of the a vowel, which could be fa or la. As mentioned previously Josquin's choice of text lends itself to a solid choice for a cantus firmus. Subsequent composers had considerable difficulty in making some of their soggetto cavatos work. On top of this difficulty was the changing nature of music at the time. The composers using the soggetto cavato technique were living in an era when music was becoming liberated from chant and the cantus firmus. Because the soggetto cavato was always used as a cantus firmus, it is not surprising that as the strict cantus firmus treatment fell into disuse, so did the soggetto cavato technique.