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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

How Should Renaissance Music Be Sung?

Jeff Ostrowski · December 17, 2017

3590 Sperabo OW SHOULD we interpret Renaissance music? This question will undoubtedly elicit as many different responses as we have readers. Hermann Finck (d. 1558), an organist and theorist, wrote about choral sound and performance. 1 I think his words are worth considering.

Specifically, Finck wrote a treatise called Practica Musica (published in 1556AD) and complained that some singers sounded like bleating goats, suggesting that in polyphonic music:

“…the treble and alto should not ascend too high, and no voice should overpower the others and disturb us by shouting—or be so strained that the singer changes color, becoming black in the face or seeming to run out of breath, such as those basses who buzz like a hornet inside a boot, or puff and blow like a burst bellows.”

Finck continues:

“The treble should be sung with a delicate and sonorous tone, the bass, however, with a harder and heavier tone: the middle voices should move with uniformity and try to match themselves to the outer parts sweetly and harmoniously.”

He suggests that the dynamic level of each voice should remain rather constant…

“…so that there is no discrepancy in sound between the beginning and the end: the tone should not be too soft or too loud, but rather—like a properly built organ—the ensemble should remain unaltered and constant. […] The higher a voice rises, the quieter and more gentle should be the tone; the lower it goes, the richer should be the sound, just as in an organ. […] When there is a tasteful point of imitation at the beginning of a work this is to be rendered with a more definite and distinct tone than is employed elsewhere, and the following parts—if they start with the same point as the first—should perform it in the same way. This should be observed by all the parts whenever a new point occurs.”

Julie Anne Sadie has attempted to interpret what Finck had in mind, and here are her conclusions:

Finck called for a sweet and tender treble and a bright, sonorous bass. In the church style the voices were expected to merge imperceptibly: as basses rise in pitch, they should sound like tenors, while rising tenors should sound like altos and altos like trebles, necessitating the use of falsetto or head voice; when descending, voices should approach the timbre of the next below. By comparison, modern choral singing is top-heavy, with singers trying to maintain their tonal quality throughout their range.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   The full title of Finck’s 1556 publication was Practica musica, exempla variorum signorum, proportionum, et canonum, judicium de tonis ac quaedam de arte suaviter et artificiose cantandi continens.

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 Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —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

“Both of these appointments—of Cardinal Lercaro and Father Bugnini—to key positions on the Consilium made it possible for voices to be heard that could not be heard during the proceedings of the Council, and likewise silenced others.”

— Alfons Cardinal Stickler, Vatican II ‘peritus’

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