Product Description
Jehan Ockeghems Missa pro defunctis (also known as his Requiem Mass) is the earliest surviving polyphonic setting of the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass, making it a landmark in Western music history. The circumstances of its composition are not precisely known; scholars propose it may have been written for the funeral of Charles VII (1461), Louis XI (1483), or possibly at the end of Ockeghems own life.
Ockeghems paraphrase technique in the Missa pro defunctis works by integrating and elaborating the Sarum chant melodiesthe plainchant repertoire used for the liturgyinto each movement. He does not simply quote the chant in one voice (as in traditional cantus firmus technique), but rather paraphrases it: the chant is melodically altered and rhythmically varied, woven into the polyphonic fabric with considerable freedom. Heres how Ockeghems approach operates in each movement:
Introitus: Requiem aeternam
The chant melody appears most prominently in the superius (top) voice, but it is not just quoted; it is rhythmically adjusted, ornamented, and sometimes moves to other voices. The writing features sections where all voices move in parallel (a fauxbourdon-like style), while shorter internal sections for two or three voices highlight contrasting textures.
Kyrie
Ockeghem continues to use paraphrased chant in the top voice, with the other voices providing harmonic and contrapuntal support. Like the Introit, the chant is subject to melodic and rhythmic changes that integrate it into the polyphonic structure, rather than being used as a strict, unadorned cantus firmus.
Graduale: Si ambulem
The original chant is paraphrased, appearing in free form rather than strict quotation, and distributed across the four voices. Ockeghems technique here makes the chant less immediately recognizable, embedding it within rich polyphony.
Tractus: Sicut cervus desiderat
Paraphrasing is even more pronounced, with chant material less easily isolated. Melodic fragments from the chant are passed between voices, sometimes rhythmically independent or ornamented, making the chants presence subtle and integrated.
Offertorium: Domine Jesu Christe
The line between chant and polyphony is most blurred here: the chant is dissected, rephrased, and woven through dense, complex counterpoint. This movement is the most contrapuntally elaborate, using the chant as the foundation but transforming it almost beyond recognition in places, creating dynamic interactions among the voices.
Summary of technique:
Ockeghems paraphrase method means he neither strictly quotes nor entirely abandons chant melodies; instead, he uses them as flexible source material. The method varies by movement, but the common thread is the use of chant as motivic inspiration, freely distributed among the voices and often rhythmically and melodically transformed to suit the expressive and structural needs of the music. This results in stylistic diversity, from relatively straightforward fauxbourdon in the Introit to intricate counterpoint in the Offertory, all anchored in the liturgical tradition but uniquely shaped by Ockeghems compositional voice.
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