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Views from the Choir Loft

What a young Father Morales wrote for Charles V

Jeff Ostrowski · April 2, 2020

Y TEACHER knew Robert Murrell Stevenson (d. 2012) personally, because Roger Wagner (d. 1992) was very close to Stevenson. Stevenson taught at UCLA, and Wagner was director of Choral Activities at UCLA. My teacher also knew Monsignor Higinio Anglès (d. 1969)—and they spoke together in German, since both were fluent in German. Stevenson did much of his research in South America and Central America, whereas Anglès (from Catalonia) did much of his research in Rome. Anglès produced the complete works (“Opera Omnia”) of Cristóbal de Morales.

Stevenson (d. 2012) tells the fascinating story of this motet by the young Father Morales:

Father Morales wrote his 6-voice motet (“Jubilate Deo omnis terra”) for the June 1538 peace celebrations at Nice. It was at this Riviera haven that Pope Paul III finally succeeded in persuading Charles V and Francis I to conduct a peace parley. Convinced that music might somehow soothe the principals to a peace treaty, Pope Paul III brought along twenty of his own singers: all richly garbed in new velvet cassocks and silk surplices (the cost of these sumptuous garments having been paid for out of his private discretionary funds). Morales’s motet evidently made the desired impression, if its long-continuing popularity after the peace conference is accepted as sufficient evidence. The printing of the vocal parts—first at Lyons in 1542 and then at Venice in 1549—testify to the continuing popularity of a cantata that can have been conceived originally as no more than an occasional composition.

Nobody knows who made this recording!

…but it might have been Roger Wagner:


Translation:

“Rejoice in the Lord, all ye lands; sing joyfully; rejoice and tell His praises. For, through the mediaton of Pope Paul III, CHARLES V (Carolus) and Francis I (those kings of vast domains) have agreed to unite; and peace descends from Heaven. —— O happy age, O happy Paul, O ye happy princes who have delivered peace to the Christian people. Long live Paul! Long live Charles! Long live Francis! Long may they live together, and may they give us peace for ever!”

I prefer this old recording—but there are plenty of modern recordings available if you don’t like it.

Here’s my question: What if peace had not been concluded? Would the composition have gone to waste?

Here is an example of how the Part Books looked.

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: April 3, 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

    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

“The free space which the new order of Mass gives to creativity it must be admitted, is often excessively enlarged. The difference between the liturgy with the new liturgical books, as it is actually practiced and celebrated in various places is often much greater than the difference between the old and new liturgies when celebrated according to the rubrics of the liturgical books.”

— Cardinal Ratzinger (1998)

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