John Dunstable's Cyclical Mass

Paper Summary:

In this paper the author examines the works of John Dunstable centering on his compositions that were written specifically for the Church. The author looks at Dunstable as one of the great contrapuntalists working in classical music during the Renaissance pointing out that he is known for his work in the motet form, a product of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The author defines the motet as a composition for unaccompanied choir with sacred text sung in Latin, since it was designed to be performed in Roman Catholic liturgical services. He then goes on to describe the different methods with which Dunstable's work can be performed and the developments in music that occurred as a result of his works. In conclusion the author looks at Dunstable as a standard setter for future Masses that were treble-dominated, as well as the harmonic innovation that resulted in the first form of the modern triads that form popular and symphonic music today.

From the Paper:

"The mass is a suite that is presented throughout the Latin Mass, a service containing a set series of segments, each addressing a particular aspect of Catholic belief. Dunstable's Missa Rex saeculorum has sometimes been ascribed to Leonel Power, who composed the earliest tenor Mass extant today. In this work, the Kyrie is eliminated, as is common in most cyclic Masses of English origin. There are two long sections in triple and duple meter set against an isorhythmic tenor line. In its compositional structure, the phrasing of the text is ignored and the notes are used as structural support for the piece. Sometimes a phrase breaks off mid-word, taking the chant out of its proper mode The duet sections are written in a form strictly identified with English composers, and the tenor voice provides a unifying factor."

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