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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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Jeff Ostrowski

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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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

Surprising Popularity!

One of our most popular downloads has proven to be the organ accompaniment to “The Monastery Hymnal” (131 pages). This book was compiled, arranged, and edited by Achille P. Bragers, who studied at the Lemmensinstituut (Belgium) about thirty years before that school produced the NOH. Bragers might be considered an example of Belgium “Stile Antico” whereas Flor Peeters and Jules Van Nuffel represented Belgium “Prima Pratica.” You can download the hymnal by Bragers at this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski
15 February 2021 • To Capitalize…?

In the Introit for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, there is a question regarding whether to capitalize the word “christi.” The Vulgata does not, because Psalm 27 is not specifically referring to Our Lord, but rather to God’s “anointed one.” However, Missals tend to capitalize it, such as the official 1962 Missal and also a book from 1777 called Missel de Paris. Something tells me Monsignor Knox would not capitalize it.

—Jeff Ostrowski
15 February 2021 • “Sung vs. Spoken”

We have spoken quite a bit about “sung vs. spoken” antiphons. We have also noted that the texts of the Graduale Romanum sometimes don’t match the Missal texts (in the Extraordinary Form) because the Mass Propers are older than Saint Jerome’s Vulgate, and sometimes came from the ITALA versions of Sacred Scripture. On occasion, the Missal itself doesn’t match the Vulgate—cf. the Introit “Esto Mihi.” The Vulgate has: “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in domum refúgii…” but the Missal and Graduale Romanum use “Esto mihi in Deum protectórem et in locum refúgii…” The 1970s “spoken propers” use the traditional version, as you can see.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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“Place the missal in the hand of the faithful so that they may take part more easily and more fruitfully in the Mass; and that they faithful, united with the priest, may pray together in the very words and sentiments of the Church.”

— Ven. Pope Pius XII

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