Vasilissa ergo gaude
Encyclopedia
Vasilissa ergo gaude is an isorhythm
ic motet
by the Renaissance composer Guillaume Dufay
. In terms of its subject matter, it is sometimes grouped together with Lamentatio sanctae matris ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae
, Apostolus gloriosus and Balsamus et munda cera which are generically called Dufay's Byzantine motets. Its composition was occasioned by the marriage on the 21st of January 1421 of Cleofa Malatesta
, daughter of Malatesta di Pandolfo, to Theodore II Palaiologos son of the Byzantine emperor Manuel II
and Despot of the Morea
. It has been surmised that the actual motet was composed in 1420 and is perhaps the earliest example of this choral form if not the earliest work attributed to Dufay. In earlier scholarship it was assumed that the motet's first performance had taken place on May 19, 1419 during the festivities prior to the marriage
The tenor line is taken from Psalm 45:11 (44:11 in the traditional Catholic numbering), whose theme is royal marriage. The verse chosen for the motet occurs in Catholic liturgy in the Gradual
of various feasts of the Virgin Mary. The motet is preserved in the contemporary music manuscript Codex Bologna, International museum and library of music
, MS Q15.
In terms of structure the composition has been compared with the mature work of Johannes Ciconia
, a Franco-Flemish composer also active in Italy. Of the four voices used, the two upper voices bearing the melody often imitate each other and move faster than the two lower voices. The talea
is repeated only once. An additional device independent from the motet's purely isorythmic design is the canonic introit (a short canon
used as a prelude) appearing at the beginning of the composition..
Even though numerological mysticism which is often encountered in the Ars Antiqua
seems to have been of minor importance in musical composition from the 14th century onwards, there have been attempts to interpret the motet's texture and design from a symbolic-mystical viewpoint. Dufay is known to have utilised similar devices such as gematria
(a system of number symbolism drawn from the Pythagorean corpus) in other nuptial compositions. The tenor line singing the Cantus firmus
in Vasilissa ergo gaude consists of a total of 2x49 notes plus the two closing notes which add to a total of 100 notes. It has been suggested that this number implies the medieval symbolism for repentance which leads to absolute unity. It has further been proposed that the number 100 should be related to the total of 700 or else 7x100 notes of the remaining three voices, alluding thus to the sacred number 7. The sum total of notes in the motet is 800 and this has been interpreted as an allusion to the number 8. In medieval numerology, 8 signified eternity, understood in the context of Dufay's motet as eternal stability.
All these numerical symbolisms must have had a particular significance in view of the politically motivated marriage between Cleofa Malatesta and Theodoros Palaiologos. The marriage was arranged as part of a series of diplomatic gestures between Cleofa's uncle Pope Martin V
and the Byzantine emperor. It was hoped that it would facilitate reunification between the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Isorhythm
Isorhythm is a musical technique that arranges a fixed pattern of pitches with a repeating rhythmic pattern.-Detail:...
ic 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...
by the Renaissance composer Guillaume Dufay
Guillaume Dufay
Guillaume Dufay was a Franco-Flemish composer of the early Renaissance. As the central figure in the Burgundian School, he was the most famous and influential composer in Europe in the mid-15th century.-Early life:From the evidence of his will, he was probably born in Beersel, in the vicinity of...
. In terms of its subject matter, it is sometimes grouped together with Lamentatio sanctae matris ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae
Lamentatio sanctae matris ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae
Lamentatio sanctae matris ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae is a motet by the Renaissance composer Guillaume Dufay. Its topic is a lament of the fall of Constantinople under the Ottoman Turks in 1453...
, Apostolus gloriosus and Balsamus et munda cera which are generically called Dufay's Byzantine motets. Its composition was occasioned by the marriage on the 21st of January 1421 of Cleofa Malatesta
Cleofa Malatesta
Cleofa Malatesta da Pesaro was an Italian noblewoman and the wife of Theodore II Palaiologos, Despot of the Morea, brother of Constantine XI, the last Byzantine emperor. She was a daughter ofMalatesta dei Sonetti, count of Pesaro, and of Isabella Gonzaga...
, daughter of Malatesta di Pandolfo, to Theodore II Palaiologos son of the Byzantine emperor Manuel II
Manuel II Palaiologos
Manuel II Palaiologos or Palaeologus was Byzantine Emperor from 1391 to 1425.-Life:...
and Despot of the Morea
Despotate of Morea
The Despotate of the Morea or Despotate of Mystras was a province of the Byzantine Empire which existed between the mid-14th and mid-15th centuries. Its territory varied in size during its 100 years of existence but eventually grew to take in almost all the southern Greek peninsula, the...
. It has been surmised that the actual motet was composed in 1420 and is perhaps the earliest example of this choral form if not the earliest work attributed to Dufay. In earlier scholarship it was assumed that the motet's first performance had taken place on May 19, 1419 during the festivities prior to the marriage
Vasilissa, ergo gaude, Quia es digna omni laude, Cleophe, clara gestis A tuis de Malatestis, In Italia principibus Magnis et nobilibus, |
Therefore rejoice, princess, for you are worthy of all praise, Cleofe, glorious from the deeds of your Malatesta House of Malatesta The House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over Rimini from 1295 until 1500, as well as other lands and towns in Romagna.Malatesta da Verucchio The House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over Rimini from 1295 until 1500, as well as (in different periods) other lands and... kin, leading men in Italy, great and noble, |
Ex tuo viro clarior, Quia cunctis est nobilior: Romeorum est despotus, Quem colit mundus totus; In porphyro est genitus, A deo missus celitus |
More glorious from your husband, for he is nobler than all; he is Despot of the Rhomaioi, he whom all the world reveres; he was born in the purple Porphyrogenitos Porphyrogénnētos, Latinized as Porphyrogenitus was an honorific title given to a son, or daughter , of a reigning emperor in the Byzantine Empire. However, not every imperial prince or princess was accorded this distinction... , sent by god from heaven |
Iuvenili etate polles et formositate Et utraque lingua facunda Ac clarior es virtutibus Pre alliis hominibus. |
In youthfull bloom you abound and in beauty, very fertile and eloquent in both tongues, and you are more glorious for your virtues above other human beings. |
Tenor Concupivit rex decorem tuum Quoniam ipse est dominus tuus |
Tenor The king hath conceived desire for thy beauty, for he is thy Lord. |
The tenor line is taken from Psalm 45:11 (44:11 in the traditional Catholic numbering), whose theme is royal marriage. The verse chosen for the motet occurs in Catholic liturgy in the Gradual
Gradual
The Gradual is a chant or hymn in the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations. In the Tridentine Mass it was and is sung after the reading or chanting of the Epistle and before the Alleluia, or, during penitential seasons, before the Tract. In the Mass of Paul VI...
of various feasts of the Virgin Mary. The motet is preserved in the contemporary music manuscript Codex Bologna, International museum and library of music
International museum and library of music
-History:The Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale, founded in 1959 to hold the Comune di Bologna’s collection of musical objects, was renamed International Museum and Library of Music in 2004 with the opening of the museum’s site, the Palazzo Sanguinetti, in the historic center of Bologna...
, MS Q15.
In terms of structure the composition has been compared with the mature work of Johannes Ciconia
Johannes Ciconia
Johannes Ciconia was a late medieval composer and music theorist who worked most of his adult life in Italy, particularly in the service of the Papal Chapels and at the cathedral of Padua....
, a Franco-Flemish composer also active in Italy. Of the four voices used, the two upper voices bearing the melody often imitate each other and move faster than the two lower voices. The talea
Talea
Talea can refer to:*Isorhythm*Talea, Prahova, a commune in Prahova County, Romania*A type of Italian amaretto liqueur*Talea, a fictional character from the Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster....
is repeated only once. An additional device independent from the motet's purely isorythmic design is the canonic introit (a short canon
Canon (music)
In music, a canon is a contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration . The initial melody is called the leader , while the imitative melody, which is played in a different voice, is called the follower...
used as a prelude) appearing at the beginning of the composition..
Even though numerological mysticism which is often encountered in the Ars Antiqua
Ars antiqua
Ars antiqua, also called ars veterum or ars vetus, refers to the music of Europe of the late Middle Ages between approximately 1170 and 1310, covering the period of the Notre Dame school of polyphony and the subsequent years which saw the early development of the motet...
seems to have been of minor importance in musical composition from the 14th century onwards, there have been attempts to interpret the motet's texture and design from a symbolic-mystical viewpoint. Dufay is known to have utilised similar devices such as gematria
Gematria
Gematria or gimatria is a system of assigning numerical value to a word or phrase, in the belief that words or phrases with identical numerical values bear some relation to each other, or bear some relation to the number itself as it may apply to a person's age, the calendar year, or the like...
(a system of number symbolism drawn from the Pythagorean corpus) in other nuptial compositions. The tenor line singing the Cantus firmus
Cantus firmus
In music, a cantus firmus is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition.The plural of this Latin term is , though the corrupt form canti firmi is also attested...
in Vasilissa ergo gaude consists of a total of 2x49 notes plus the two closing notes which add to a total of 100 notes. It has been suggested that this number implies the medieval symbolism for repentance which leads to absolute unity. It has further been proposed that the number 100 should be related to the total of 700 or else 7x100 notes of the remaining three voices, alluding thus to the sacred number 7. The sum total of notes in the motet is 800 and this has been interpreted as an allusion to the number 8. In medieval numerology, 8 signified eternity, understood in the context of Dufay's motet as eternal stability.
All these numerical symbolisms must have had a particular significance in view of the politically motivated marriage between Cleofa Malatesta and Theodoros Palaiologos. The marriage was arranged as part of a series of diplomatic gestures between Cleofa's uncle Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V , born Odo Colonna, was Pope from 1417 to 1431. His election effectively ended the Western Schism .-Biography:...
and the Byzantine emperor. It was hoped that it would facilitate reunification between the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church.