Monteverdi's G Minor Mass: An Experiment in Construction

Author(s): Reginald Smith Brindle

Source: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Jul., 1968), pp. 352-360
Published by: Oxford University Press
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 MONTEVERDI'S G MINOR MASS:
AN EXPERIMENT IN CONSTRUCTION
By REGINALD SMITH BRINDLE

enigmaconcerningClaudio Monteverdi'sworksis the great

ABASIC
divergencein style between the two main types of his church
music.On the one hand, the composerseemsto have shrunkfromstylistic
revolutionand composedin the old polyphonicmanner.On the other,he
composedmany of his worksin the lighterstilemoderno,which involved
concertanteinstrumental supportof solo voice or chorusparts conceived
in a completelydifferent style.
Some authoritiesbelieve that Monteverdi'ssacred music in the old
Flemish-Palestrinian polyphonicstylewas writtenexpresslyto satisfythe
conservativeideals of the Procuratorsof San Marco in Venice; otherssay
that the composerhimself,especiallyin his later years,acknowledgedthe
need to perpetuatetraditionin churchmusic. Yet the old and new styles
are equally evidentboth beforeand afterMonteverdi'sappointmentat
San Marco, and it is difficultto identify
eitherof thesestyles(or any style)
witha specificperiodofhis career.
But one cannot help feelingthat since Monteverdiwas such an out-
standingprotagonistin the revolutionin secular music,he musthave felt
a strongurge to introduceat least some measureof innovationinto even
the mostarchaic styleof his churchmusic. A man so stronglyinclinedto
radical change would surelyhave foundit irksomein no small degreeto
composewithinthelimitsofthestileantico.
Recentlytherehas been an increasingtendencyto deflateand even
negate Monteverdi'sreputationas an innovator.Some would have it that
in opera hisworkis onlythesublimationoftechniquesand stylesbroughtto
fruitionbyhis predecessors, and thathis "modern"stylechurchmusiconly
conformsto previousVenetiantraditions.There maybe quite a bitoftruth
in theseassertions,but in manyareas, Monteverdi'smusicreveals,both in
mass and in detail,factorsofundeniableoriginality and novelty.Certainly,
the general panorama of his output reveals him as a man of wide sym-
352

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 Monteverdi'sG Minor Mass: Experimentin Construction 353

pathies with an innovatorycast of mind even in his most conservative

works.
As will be shownlaterthereis in factsome evidencethat Monteverdi
did introducecertaininnovationsinto archaic stylesof composition,but
he did so in such a way thatnone of his listenerscould detectany change.
Whateverthereasonforhiscompositionofworksthatmade everypretense
ofbelongingto themainstreamofestablishedchurchmusic,thereare indi-
cationsthat below the surfacehe surreptitiously continuedhis search for
novelty.
The posthumously publishedMass in G minor(Messa a 4 voci da Cap-
of
pella 1651) 1 is a strikingexample of a Monteverdiworkthathas every
appearance of beingstileanticomusic,evenwithan archaicmodal flavor;
but behindtheold facade is a construction thatshowsa new way of think-
ing.On analysis,the thematicand harmonic fabricrevealsthatMonteverdi
was by no means reconciledto the role of a mere imitatorof historical
examples,but thathe aimed at the applicationof a new systematized com-
positionalprocessthatmustthenhave been withoutdirectprecedent.For
thisMass is reallya more remarkableexercisein thematictransformation
and metamorphosis thanpreviouscomposershad everconceived.The com-
poser'saim was no less than the deliberatederivationof everyvocal line,
even in homophonicsections,fromone initial thematicproposition,yet
maintaininga perpetualsenseof freshness.
Monteverdi'sinitialbasic theme appears at firstto be almost disap-
pointinglyconventional.Its placid, almostGregoriancurve,seemsto fore-
cast an uneventful future,givinglittlepromiseof interesting
developments.
But thissimplicity is deceiving;forthisflowing,gracefultheme,despiteits
apparentnaivete,hidesconstructive principlesthatlaterprovidethe foun-
dation for Monteverdi'sadventuresin thematicexpansion and develop-
ment. In reality,this theme is composed of three interlockingsections,
comprisingtwo descendinggroupsoffournotes(G F E D) interspersed by
two risingthirds(D - F and E - G) :
Ex. Imirror
Ioriginal
I'scale' theme ['scale' theme repeated

'rising-thirds'theme
invertedretrogradetransposed
But thisapparentlytri-sectional melodyis also constructedon another
principle.As indicatedabove, the themecomprisestwo sectionsbuilton a
1Available editions are: Malipiero, Tutte le Opere, (Rome, 1968), XVI, 1-53;
B. Somma (Rome, 1948); Eulenberg Miniature Score No. 982.

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354 The Musical Quarterly

mirrorplan, withthe "mirrored"halfinvertedand transposedto begin a

fourthlower.Althoughsome of Monteverdi'stransformations are derived
fromthe latterbi-sectional"invertedmirror"divisionof the theme,most
of his thematicadventuresare concernedwith the four-notedescending
motif,the centralleaping-thirds theme,or simultaneouscombinationsof
thetwo.
For thesake of brevityand claritywe will deal herewithonlythemost
prominentmelodic material derived from or based on the four-note
descendingtheme,and withoccasionalillustrations ofhow thisis combined
with the central four-notephrase comprisingrisingthirds.These two
thematiccellswillbe termedrespectivelythe "scale" themeand the"rising-
thirds"theme.
In the firstsectionof the Kyrie Monteverdiconfinedhimselfalmost
entirelyto theuse of thethemein half-notes(both in itsoriginalformand
in retrograde)or to diminutionsin quarter-notes. These diminutionsare
ofthetheme:
at firstall retrogrades
Ex.2

Ky - rie e - le

Only towardsthe end of the firstKyrie does he use diminutionsof the

"original" version.It is strikinghow the themesuddenlyacquires a new
vigorwell suitedto thedrawingof thismusicalsectionto a strong,decisive
conclusion.
Thus far,all Monteverdi'svocal linesare concernedalmostexclusively
withthebasic themes;thereis practicallyno use ofanyextraneousmaterial.
However,it would seem that when he began the Christehe had stillnot
decided on that rigorousscheme of thematictransformation which he
used so exclusively in the rest of the work. Though the themes of the
Christeare directlyderivedfromthoseof the Kyrie,thereis not yeta hard
and fastdeploymentof materialbased solelyon the "scale" and "rising-
thirds"motifs.
But thesecond Kyriebeginsimmediatelywitha vigorouscombination
ofthesetwothemes:
Ex.3

Ky - ri - e e - le

As will be seen, the encirclednotes (D C Bb A) are derived fromthe

"scale" theme,while the completepatternis formedfromrepetitionsof a

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 Monteverdi'sG Minor Mass: Experimentin Construction 355

retrogradeversionof the "rising-thirds" theme (the retrograde,of course,

producingfalling-thirds patterns).
In therestof thesecond Kyrie,Monteverdithenproceedsto elaborate
thisnew "combination"themein two new guises.The "scale" themenotes
are bracketed:
are encircled,the "falling-thirds"
Ex. 4
(a) Bass

(b) Bass

Ky - ri- e e - le

Note how in Ex. 4b, the themeis convertedinto triple-time note groups
that overlap the duple-timemeter,producingvigorouscross accentua-
tions,especiallywhen it is combinedwithEx. 4a.
The firsthomophonicpassage in the workoccurs at the beginningof
the Gloria,and it is quite evidentthatthissectionis based on a framework
of triadchordserectedon the fourdescendingnotesof the "scale" theme.
The soprano,tenor,and bass partsoutlinethe harmoniesof G minor,F
major, Eb major, and D major, and in doing so followthe patternof the
"scale" theme.In the followingexample it will be seen that the soprano
part is built around the descendingscale Bb A G F$, the tenor around
D C Bb A, and the bass around G F Eb and D. The alto part also follows
the "scale" themein octaveswiththe bass,but in theinterests of harmonic
effect(the creation of a suspension)the Eb is omitted.The completesec-
tionis as follows:
Ex.5
Soprano

Et in ter-ra pax ho - mi -ni-bus bo - nae vo - lun -ta - tis.

Tenor

Et in ter-ra pax ho - mi-ni-bus bo - naevo - lun - ta - tis.

Bass

Et in ter- ra pax ho - mi- ni-bus bo - nae vo - lun - ta - tis.

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356 The Musical Quarterly

Throughoutthe Mass, the homophonicsectionsfollowthisscheme,some-

timesincludingthe "rising-thirds" themeor its inversionin the part writ-
ing. This occurs in the Gloria at "Qui tollis"and "Qui sedes ad dexteram
Patris," in the Credo at "Qui propter,""descenditde caelis," "Et incarna-
tusest,""ex Maria Virgine,""Confiteor,"and "Et expecto."The Benedic-
tusis entirelymade up ofthreesuccessivehomophonicpassagesbuilton this
harmonic-thematic scheme. It is interestingthat in all thesehomophonic
passages Monteverdi substitutesan Eb for the Et of his original"scale"
theme,therebyadding a greaterpoignancyto the harmony.Through its
continualrecurrencehe producesa powerfulcumulativeeffect.
In the Credo Monteverdiachievesa furthernovel harmoniceffectby
usinga simultaneousrisingand fallingversionof the "scale" theme.While
thetenorpart riseson themain beats ofthemeasure,thesopranoand alto
fall in retardedthirdsoffthe beats,thusformingmagical, dissonantsus-
pensionswitha harmonicpathosthatseemsto belongto anotherworld.
Finally,beforeleavingthisharmonicapplicationof the "scale" theme,
it mustbe shownhow thisusage in its turninspiredMonteverdito adopt
yetanotherthematicprocess.Having piled up triadson the "scale" theme
to formharmonies,he thenproceededto separatethetriadcomponentsinto
an arpeggio-like theme:
Ex. 6
Alto
Ple - ni sunt cae - Ii et ter - ra glo - - - ri -

Lt-JCJ
L I
, ....- .
Only in the thirdmeasureis thereno completetriad,forthiswould have
caused a tritonein themelody(E-Bb) whichwas obviouslyundesirable.
Apparentlywe have here a compositionalprocedure with little or
no precedentin musical history.It is a kind of chain process,in which
melodyfirstsuggesteda harmonicschemeto thecomposer,and thisin turn
was thenused to create a new melodic outline.Certainlythisformedno
part of the obsolescentprima pratticain whichstylethe Mass is so often
said to have been written.
It would seem that Monteverdi,having createda new theme,would
thenproceedto createyetfurtherelaborationson it. He usuallydoes this
in such a way that associatedthemesare not close together,but are often
widelyseparated,so thattheirinterrelationshipis not alwaysimmediately
evident.
For instance,the followingthemein the Gloria, combiningelements
ofthe"scale" theme(encircled) and "rising-thirds" theme(bracketed),at
firstseemsto undergolittlealteration:

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 Monteverdi'sG Minor Mass: Experimentin Construction 357
Ex.7
Soprano I I I

A- do - ra -mus te, glo - ri - fi - ca- mus te, glo - ri - fi - ca -

but later,in the Credo, coupled witha change of meterand witha slight
changein therhythmic design,it becomesa boisterousmelodyof quite dif-
ferentcharacter:
Ex.8
Bass

Et i - te - rum ven - tu - rus est, et i - te- rum ven - tu -

Withstillanothersimplerhythmic change (movingthemusicto the"right"

one beat) it is thenused forthevigorous"hosanna" sectionsofthe Sanctus
and Benedictus,whereit has a jubilant,exaltedring.The stressis now on
the shorternotes,producingan agitated,aggressivemovementwhich is
even more accentuatedbecause onlythe tenorpart obstinatelyretainsthe
"on thebeat" patternof Ex. 8.
Finally,in the Agnus Dei, thistheme (in augmentedvalues) createsa
singularlytranquilmood,withan undercurrent of deep sadness,especially
whenthepartsbuild up paralleltriads(thisis anotherexample of Monte-
verdi's "harmony-built-on-melody"):
Ex.9
Alto

mi -se-re-re, mi - se -re -re no - bis.

Tenor

I .
mi-se -re-re, mi - se -re - re, mi - se -re - re no - - - bis.
Bass

mi - se - re - re, mi - se - re - re, mi - se - re - re no - - - bis.

Of coursethis techniqueof achievingdeeplymovingharmonies

throughparalleltriadsis a favorite
deviceofMonteverdi
(see,forexam-
ple, the greatsimilaritiesbetweenEx. 9 and the long finalsectionof the
madrigal "Ohime, se tanto amate di sentirdir ohim&"). The unique
featureofthe Mass is the unusuallyclose fusionof melodic and harmonic
materialwiththe basic motif.
Naturally,in buildinga relativelylong workon a verysmall amount
of material,thereis a danger of monotony,particularlywhen harmonies
as well as themesare derivedfromthe same meager basic motif.But the

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358 The Musical Quarterly

G minorMass seemsno lessrichthanMonteverdi'stwootherextantmasses.

Indeed, its harmoniesare much more interesting. The Selva morale e
spiritualeMass certainlylacks the poignantharmoniesof the Mass in G
minor, and where the composer uses the technique of elaborating a
basic theme,thereis sometimesa feelingof overrepetition, or excessive
similarity of material.On the otherhand, Monteverdi's firstMass, In illo
temrnpore, does not sufferfrom thematic monotony: being based on ten
"fugues" or motifs from Gombert's motetof the same name, it containsa
rich profusionof diversemelodic materialwhich Monteverdielaborated
copiouslyand withsuperbcontrapuntalingenuity.But thisworktoo lacks
the harmonicdepthof the G minorMass.
It is not easy to explain why the same basic thematicmaterialdoes
not lose its freshnessin the G minor Mass; but most probablystaleness
is avoided by two factors,both of them quite simple,but veryeffective.
The most importantconcernsrhythmicdisplacements.We have already
seen how Ex. 8 is recast in the "hosanna" sectionsof the Sanctus and
Benedictusby movingthe melodyone beat to the "right."Since the stress
is thrownon tne shortnotesand not on the long ones, the themesnow
have a verydifferent character.This processis carrieda stage furtherby
altering duple-timethemeto triple-time
a rhythmic shapes,and then im-
posingthison a duple-timemeter,therebycreatingstrikingcross-accentu-
ations,and givingfreshvigorand noveltyto the themes.For ex-ample,in
the Gloria, the duple-timetheme at Ex. 10a is shortenedto triple-time
in Ex. 10b, but remainsset in a duple-timemeter:
Ex. 10
(a) Bass

Do - mi-ne De - - us, Rex cae - les-

3
(b) Tenor beats _ _

A (men)

...
The triple-timetheme is then augmented into broad six-beat phrases
which overlap the duple-timemeter,bringingthe Gloria to an end with
an "Amen" of impressivemajestyand solemnity.
The othermeansbywhichmelodicfreshness is maintainedis probably
to be foundin the way thematicelaborationsare made to sweep over an
ever greaterintervallicspan, especiallytowards the end of the work.
While in some elaborations,the "added" notesdo not move more than a

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 Monteverdi'sG Minor Mass: Experimentin Construction 359

second or a thirdaway fromthe basic notes,in otherstheymay sweep a

fourthabove or below. This considerablyincreasesthe expressivepoten-
tial of the basic motifand oftenproduces floridmelodic patternswhich
are far removedindeedfromthe originalsimple,impersonal"scale"
theme:
Ex.11
Tenor

- - sci - pe, Su - - sci - pe,

Su

In the finalthemeof the workthe intervallicexpansionat last reaches

the span of the fifth,creatinga melody of wonderfulpurityand sim-
plicity,and bringingthe Mass to a close with a powerfulsense of quiet
fulfilment:
Ex. 12

Soprano

do na no - bis, do - na no- bis

- -
Alto

do- na -no bis - - - ce e, do

pa

Bass

do - na no - bis, do - na no - bis pa -

pacem.

cem .
..na.
. .

cem.

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360 The Musical Quarterly

In thelast six notesof thetenorpart,we have what in othercircumstances

would be a perfectly commonplacephrase; in factit mustoccur in an al-
mostidenticalway in thelast measuresofthousandsofotherchoralpieces.
Yet here,it seemsto have a veryspecialsignificance.
It seemsto be thatthe
four-note"scale" theme,in beingextendeddownwardsat last to coverthe
span of a sixth,finallyreachesmaturity,
bringingtheworkto an end witha
feelingof uttercompletion.
To sum up, it would seem that,farfrombeing mnerely an exercisein
the stileantico,thisMass was a tour de forcein a new formof construc-
tivism.It aimed at a method of drawing almost everynote-progression
and much of the harmonicstructurefroma bare minimumof material
thatamountedto no morethan a merehandfulof notes.
It is a measureof Monteverdi'ssuccessthat one can hear or perform
this Mass many timeswithoutbeing aware of the composer'sartifices.
Though it is obvious,even at firsthearing,that some themesare related,
the full extentand totalityof theserelationshipsremain hidden fromall
but the most attentiveobserver.There is such a profuseweb of thematic
relationships,even in what may seem for a time to be materialof only
an extraneousnature,that onlyaftera long acquaintance withthisMass
can the greatnessof Monteverdi'sfeat of constructionand inventionbe
appreciated.
Is it possiblethat otherpieces of Monteverdi'sprima pratticasacred
music contain other or similarinnovationswhich have never been re-
vealed until now? Did the paramountfigurein the practice of the stile
modernoreallycontenthimselfwith the reproductionof archaic models
in that substantialportionof his church music that seems deliberately
nonrevolutionary, or did he secretlysatisfyhis desire for change with
otherhiddenschemeswhich have stillto be discovered?

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