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Views from the Choir Loft

Josquin Desprez • A Marian Masterpiece

Dr. Alfred Calabrese · May 25, 2017

160 Mary AY IS MARY’S MONTH, and before it gets away from us, I would like to promote one of the most beautiful and truly great motets of the Renaissance, Josquin Desprez’ AVE MARIA…VIRGO SERENA.

In the monumental New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Stanley Sadie, ed., 1980), Gustave Reese and Jeremy Noble begin their entry on Josquin thusly:

“Josquin Desprez, one of the greatest composers of the entire Renaissance and certainly the most important before the second half of the 16th century, was born about 1440.”

This statement is not hyperbole, yet the name of Josquin today pales in comparison with those of Palestrina, Byrd, and even lesser composers of the era. His genius during his lifetime was, however, met with widespread recognition. His numerous masses and motets were regarded as models for composers of the day. The first important music publisher, Petrucci, dedicated three full books to Josquin’s Masses alone; no other composer was given more than one book. So admired was the motet Ave Maria…virgo serena, that it was placed at the head of Petrucci’s first motet collection, printed in 1502 (although it may have been composed as early as 1476).

The poem was well known in its day. Beginning with the ubiquitous Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee, the poem then commemorates the major events in the life of the Virgin: conception, birth, annunciation, purification, and assumption, all vividly depicted amongst the percolating polyphony. These events are then followed by a personal plea to the Blessed Mother, O Mother of God, remember me. Amen, sung to Josquin’s signature solemn homophony.

Listen to this motet, read the poem, and see if you don’t agree that this is a real masterpiece, and that Josquin Desprez belongs in the pantheon of the most important composers in history:

Translation :

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, joyous Virgin. Hail thee whose conceiving, full of solemn gladness, fills heaven and earth with a new joy. Hail thee whose birth was to us a holy day, of thou who surpasses the shining light in the east, the very sun. Hail thy humanity, thy conception without a man, thou whose annunciation was our salvation. Hail thy true virginity, thy spotless chastity, thou whose purification was our expiation. Hail thee, most excellent in all angelic goodness, thou whose assumption was our glorification. O Mother of God, remember me. Amen.

(Translation by William Earle Nettles)


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 Dr. Alfred Calabrese

Dr. Alfred Calabrese is Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Rita Catholic Church in Dallas, TX. He and his wife have two children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Like all other liturgical functions, like offices and ranks in the Church, indeed like everything else in the world, the religious service that we call the Mass existed long before it had a special technical name.”

— ‘Rev. Adrian Fortescue (THE MASS, page 397)’

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