Skip Navigation

Finding closure: performance issues in the Agnus Dei of Ockeghem's Missa L'homme armé'November 2002

In his article in the November 2002 issue of Early Music, Edward Wickham examines problems of voice-distribution in Ockeghem's Missa L'homme armé. The author suggests that Darvas's 1972 edition of the Mass, which divides four polyphonic lines between six singers, presents us with a solution that may have been used in the 15th century where parts are redistributed between movements in order to accommodate dramatic inconsistencies in the voice-ranges. Although various practical solutions are offered to the modern performer in overcoming these difficulties, Wickham suggests that the modern equivalent of a reshuffle around the choirbook not only solves many of the problems but points towards healthier approach to the performance of Renaissance polyphony:

"The sight of one or two performers dropping out or joining in during the performance of a Mass cycle may seem like an admission of failure or compromise, and it is certainly uneconomic. But if we regard the ensemble as structured more like a sports squad from which a team is selected, then the registral diversity that may occur within supposedly unified works can be better understood...."

You can listen to the whole of the Missa L'homme armé, recorded by The Clerks' Group, by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page.

The second part of the article demonstrates how mensuration signs and the deployment of a cantus firmus can be used to determine tempo in a final petition of the Agnus Dei. Whereas a slower pace is traditionally adopted, Wickham explains his reasons for settling upon a brisker pace for the third petition in the Agnus Dei from Ockeghem's Missa L'Homme armé and Josquin's Missa Malheur me bat. You can listen to both these examples by clicking on the links below.

Back to soundclips and facsimiles links page.