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Views from the Choir Loft

Rehearsal Videos • Victoria’s “Ave Maria” (SATB)

Jeff Ostrowski · December 10, 2015

942 IMAGE AVE MARIA Tomás Luis de Victoria SATB EOPLE ENJOYED the “O Magnum Mysterium” rehearsal videos, so I went ahead and created individual practice videos for the SATB “Ave Maria” attributed to Tomás Luis de Victoria:

    * *  PDF Download • “Ave Maria” (SATB)

EQUAL VOICES : YouTube   •   Mp3 Audio

SOPRANO : YouTube   •   Audio

ALTO : YouTube   •   Audio

TENOR : YouTube   •   Audio

BASS : YouTube   •   Audio

These videos are intended to help amateur choirs learn. When you’re listening, please remember that I’m a tenor! (I do my very best with the other voice parts.)

FOR YEARS, WE HAVE BEEN TOLD that T. L. de Victoria (d. 1611) did not write this piece. Many believed that Karl Proske wrote it under a false name, publishing it in his 1854 collection. But consider these original manuscripts shared by my friend Nancho Alvarez. If Nancho reads this article, perhaps he can let me know the date of these manuscripts—they do not seem like something Proske would write. 1

939 AVE MARIA Tomás Luis de Victoria SATB 940 AVE MARIA Tomás Luis de Victoria SATB 941 AVE MARIA Tomás Luis de Victoria SATB

I’m not so sure Victoria—toward the very end of his life—could not have written this piece. Here are six reasons why:

(1) The music is of a very high quality.

(2) The Tenor and Bass lines in measures 14-16 remind me of a section in Victoria’s “Domine non sum dignus.”

(3) The 3/4 section toward the end is reminiscent of pieces by Victoria and other composers of that time, such as Jacobus Handl-Gallus.

(4) The incipit at the beginning is certainly something Victoria would have done, and comes directly from the Gregorian version. In fact, if you carefully examine the Gregorian melody—such as the phrase “Sancta Maria”—you’ll see that many melodies are based on the plainsong. As a Roman Catholic priest, Victoria loved to use the plainsong melodies in his polyphonic compositions.

(5) The composer says “JESUS CHRISTUS” instead of “Jesus,” which reminds me of what was done to the Holy Name in Victoria’s “O Magnum Mysterium.”

(6) Victoria did not compose a 4-voice AVE MARIA, except for this one. Therefore, it fills a lacuna in his repertoire.

In addition, the use of chromaticism seems—in my humble opinion—to match what was being done circa 1605AD.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Part books had generally fallen out of fashion by the 19th century. The entire 1854 collection by Carl Proske—called “Musica Divina”—can be downloaded HERE.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Alabama Assessment!

We received this evaluation of Symposium 2022 from an Alabama participant:

“Oh, how the Symposium echoed the words of Cardinal Merry Del Val: …choosing only what is most conformed to Thy glory, which is my final aim. In one short and fast paced week, the faculty and attendees showed me the hand of God and our Lady working in our lives. The wide range of education—from Gregorian Chant, jazz modes in organ improvisation, to ‘staying sane’ while leading a choir—were certainly first-class knowledge from the best teachers of the art. However, the most powerful lesson was learning how to pray as a choir. The sacrifice of putting songs together, taking time to learn the sacred text, meditating on the church teaching through the chants, and gaining the virtues required to persevere in these duties were not only qualities of a choir but of a saint. The sanctification of the lives of the attendees was a beautiful outcome of this event … and that in itself is worth more than a beautifully-sung Solesmes style chant!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Gregorian chant is the sacred chant, proper and principal of the Roman Church. Therefore, not only can it be used in all liturgical actions, but unless there are mitigating circumstances, it is preferable to use it instead of other kinds of sacred music.”

— §16, De Musica Sacra (1958)

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