16th century cadences, part 8: Vecchi, duet n22

Continuing the census of cadences in the duets of Orazio Vecchi, I look at the twenty-second (btw, there are 38 duets in all). Here are 12 cadences, including a closing cadence with a rising line to ^8 (G5 in the Mixolydian mode). I admit, however, to having relaxed my rules (see part 7, yesterday's post) and counted an evaded cadence (n6) and both cadences in a cadence pair (ns 7 & 8). Without those, there are 10 cadences, six of which are 6-8 and four are 3-1.

I suspect the slight bias toward 6-8 in the two duets by Vecchi would be erased in bicinia where the two voices are in the same range. I may take up that question at another time, once I find a suitable repertory. (Lassus's duets aren't good for this work because he emphasizes very long phrases, so that even the lengthy un-texted duets have no more than 2 or 3 cadences.)

16th century cadences, part 7: Vecchi, duet n21

In the same year as Gastoldi, Orazio Vecchi published his own book of instructional duets. I have chosen two of them for the sake of a census of cadence types: n21 in today's post, n22 in tomorrow's. Granted, these pieces are somewhat arbitrary constructions, but I suspect that the numbers in "proper" compositions will be similar.

I tried to focus on clearly articulating phrase-ending cadences. I did not include evaded cadences or brief cadence-like figures that are obviously within longer phrases. On those terms, the duet has 11 cadences, six of which are 6-8, and five are 3-1. Cadence types are distributed more or less evenly throughout. Of particular interest is that every one of the 6-8 cadences is different, something obviously useful for pedagogical illustration.

16th century cadences, part 6: Gastoldi, n12

Following up on yesterday's post about wedge shapes in cadences, here are opposing cadence figures, both for 6-8. The two cadences are at beginning and end of the piece. In the first case, motion is down in both voices and is especially pronounced in the tenor. In the second case, a stream of parallel motion is interrupted in the final few beats as the tenor reaches a high note, E4, and then descends firmly by step.

16th century cadences, part 5: Gastoldi, bicinium n3

Twenty years after the publication of Lassus' two set of duets, Giovanni Gastoldi published his first book of music for two voices. Like most pieces in the category of bicinia, these were most likely intended primarily for instructional purposes, rather than for performance. (The importance of the repertoire of didactic pieces is recognized and provides the pedagogical foundation for Peter Schubert's excellent textbook Modal Counterpoint, Renaissance Style (Oxford 2007, second edition).)

Among the internal cadences in the third duet are a pair that neatly illustrate my point today. In two of the three pieces by Lassus (from parts 2-4 in this series of posts), the voices largely approached the cadence in the same direction—up, of course, since I was bringing out the historically significant idea of rising cadence gestures.

Contrary motion is entirely possible, too: in the cadence pair below, the 3-1 is approached in a closing wedge, 6-8 in one that opens. Both express broadly basic motion in each of the cadences: 3 closing into 1, 6 opening out to 8.

It is important to note, however, that there is in fact no necessary directional bias in either of the two cadence types, 3-1 and 6-8. Subsequent posts will attempt to make that clear.

16th century cadences, part 4: Lassus, bicinia with text n14

Another texted duet borrows from the Magnificat. "Fecit potentiam . . ." is in KJV "He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts" Luke 1:51. Here a short first phrase ("Fecit potentiam") is without cadence, but the second is very clear (for "in brachio suo"), involving three thirds and two 2-3 bass suspensions.

The conclusion again is the point of interest, however: now familiar rising gestures in connection with a 6-8 cadenza perfetta, but note that the approach in the upper voice is repeated, a less likely option than a more varied, but still mainly stepwise figure.

16th century cadences, part 3: Lassus, bicinia with text n15

The last of the texted bicinia uses the same text as n6. Here again I have shown beginning and ending only, and here again the opening phrase is quite long and without cadence in my excerpt (probably this does have something to do with text painting, since the text is about "filling the poor with plenty"; KJV: "He hath filled the hungry with good things"). And here again the focus of my interest is the ending, which offers a more elaborately embellished cadence than did n6, along with even more emphatic rising gestures.

16th century cadences, part 2: Lassus, bicinia with text n6

This and several subsequent posts provide examples of cadences in 16th century bicinia, or pieces in two voices. The object is to discuss features and treatments of the two versions of the clausula vera (also known as the cadenza perfetta), intervals 3-1 and 6-8. An introductory post is here: link.

Lassus published two sets of bicinia in 1577. The first set of fifteen of these are texted, another with twelve are not. Among the texted duets, numbers 6 and 15 use the same text, "Esurientes implevit. . ." [KJV: "He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away," Luke 1:53; from the Magnificat]. I am not an expert in 16th century text painting and will not comment on that element. Which is another way of saying that I don't see anything obvious in the particular choices of figures or cadence types.

The opening and closing measures are in the example below. The points of interest here are that Lassus is not afraid to use the 6-8 cadence to close (that is, he shows no prejudice in favor of 3-1), and the overall gesture in the upper voice is rising.

On the clausula vera (3-1 or 6-8)

The articulation of cadences in sixteenth-century European music relied on the formula of third to unison intervals (if the parts are flipped, then it's sixth to octave). In each example just the beginning of a phrase in two voices is shown, followed by the cadence.

Here is an example from literally thousands of pieces showing the treatment of these figures. This is the fifth of Thomas Morley's Duets for Two Viols. In the opening phrase (mm. 1-5), a sixth (marked in m. 4) "prepares" a suspension dissonance that resolves into the 6 of the cadence: asterisks mark the 6-8. In the second phrase, similarly, a third D-F "prepares" a 2-3 bass suspension and the cadential 3-1 follows (note that the lower notated voice is actually higher in pitch at this point).

And here are the final two phrases, in which the cadence types are reversed: 3-1 first, then 6-8. Again note that the second cadence has the lower notated voice higher in pitch. Indeed, it is one of the uncommon instances of a rising cadential figure in notated ("art") music in the centuries before 1800.

Far more common in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries is to bring a string of parallel sixths down, often with suspensions, toward the 6-8. The example below is from the fifth of the texted bicinia (sometimes called "duets") of Lassus. Four sixth intervals in a row, three with suspensions, make for an inexorable drop to the cadence, and it is only the sudden turn to the final octave that stops the progression (and is a big part of the expressive and formal point).