Josquin des Pres revisited: the myths, the man and his music
ONLINE PRESENTATION
Tutor: John Bryan
Reviewer: John Huthnance
Firstly, I must apologise for my home Internet failure and lack of pre-existing back-up, causing emergency arrangements and inaccessibility for some. Thank-you very much, Ruth Stock, for substituting as Zoom Host and raising the 40 e-mail addresses relayed by ‘phone to advise participants of the new link. Thanks also to Bob Foster and David Allen for handling my calls beforehand and supporting the substitute arrangements.
It would be unfair to John Bryan to attempt to write up the content of his presentation in any detail. In outline, he covered:
• the high contemporary regard in which Josquin was held, to the extent that music was apparently valued more/less if it was believed/ not believed that he wrote it
• apparent reluctance to release compositions until much trialled
• apparently “difficult” character – given the exceptional gift of composition, perhaps a parallel with Beethoven?
“Apparent” because reliable documentary evidence on these aspects is minimal. The quote “. . master of the notes . . .” is attributable to Luther. The only picture of Josquin was published in 1611 based on a lost drawing of about 1500. There is no record of his birth.
John Bryan outlined Josquin’s career, again with limited documentation but enough to establish that he was employed by the elite, e.g. singing for the Pope in the Sistine Chapel and elsewhere, and that he was an excellent composer in all genres current at the time. Josquin benefited from (i) the introduction of printing which made his music accessible to and hence appreciated by many (albeit his secular music was mostly printed after his lifetime) and from (ii) the introduction of instrumental ensembles.
Finally, Josquin’s legacy was discussed. Imitation, a notable feature of his music, was taken up by successors, and many later works were based on – or expanded on – his compositions.
EMF members may like to note that I was able to appreciate the talk even though I was restricted to dialling in to Zoom on a land-line ‘phone. That includes the musical “illustrations” although obviously not the visual illustrations which I knew (from a short trial the previous day) would be a feature of a scholarly and most enjoyable presentation.
John Huthnance
First published in June 2021 Newsletter
