JACOBUS VAET AND HIS MOTETS

219 Pages·010.355 MB·English

by  STEINHARDT, MILTON

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Steinhardt, Milton, 1909-
eoo Jacobus Vaet and his motets.
* New York, 191^9 •
212 typewritten leaves, front,
(facsim.) 29cm.
Thesis (Ph.D.) - New York Univer­
sity, Graduate School, 1950.
Bibliography: p.91-97,
"Music examples": p.98-211.
C50695
Shell Usi
Xerox University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106
THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED.
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J A C O B U S V A E T A N D HIS M O T E T S
By
Milton Steinhardt
A dissertation in the department of music submitted in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
of Doctor of Philosophy at New York University..
Novnmbswj *9>i9.
V* i I ^ 5"0
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The writer wishes to express his gratitude to
Professor Curt Sachs for his valuable assistance and
helpful criticism, and to Professor Gustave Reese for
stimulating advice. Thanks are due also to Dr. Hans
Jancik for the loan of a copy of his unpublished dis­
sertation on the masses of Jacobus Vaet. Grateful
acknowledgement is made to the Administration of Michi­
gan State College for financial assistance in the form
of a research grant.
l O I 0 S O
CONTENTS
Introduction
I. The Life of Jacobus Vaet.............................. 1
II. The Motets of Jacobus Vaet............................ 19
1. Bibliography......................................19
2. Texts........................................... 25
3. Chronology of Style............... 3k
I4. Form............................................ 39
5. Melody. ................................... Ul
6. Polyphony...... 5U
7. Parody Technique................................. 80
8. Summary and Conclusions ..................... 87
Bibliography............................................. 91
Music Examples............................................98
Appendix A. Motets Illustrating the Stylistic Development
of Jacobus Vaet.............................. 136
1. Dondne exaudi................ 137
2. Ecce apparebit Dominus............................ 1U7
3. Antevenis virides............. 156
Appendix B. Thematic Index of the Motets of Jacobus Vaet....167
Addendum....... ......................................... 212
INTRODUCTION
Jacobus Vaet is one of the half-forgotten figures of the
Renaissance who at one time occupied a post of distinction. As
Kapellmeister to the Hapsburg monarch and later Emperor, Maximilian
II, he was active in one of the most brilliant courts of Europe.
His work brought him in contact with many of the leading composers
of the mid-sixteenth century, and hence a study of Vaet's composi­
tions promises to throw light on musical developments of his time.
Vaet specialized in the writing of motets, both religious
and ceremonial. Of the seventy-six works of this type that he is
known to have written, seventy could be obtained for the purposes of
this study. Sixty-two of these were available in sixteenth-century
publications or by means of photographic reproductions from them.
For the examination of eight motets it was necessary to rely on re­
prints in Franz Commer's Collectio operum musicorum Batavorum
saeculi XVI and in Das Chorwerk, volume II, edited by E. H. .Meyer.
In this dissertation the writer proposes to treat of the life
of Vaet aid to examine his motets with a view to placing the com­
poser among his greater and lesser contemporaries and to evaluating
his contribution to musical trends of his time. The procedure
employed involves a stylistic analysis of the motets as well as a
study of their texts and bibliography. The use of parody technique
will be investigated and characteristics of form, melody, texture,
and harmony will be discussed. In addition, a comparison of Vaet's
early motets with his later ones will be made in order to reveal
the nature of his artistic development.
THE LIFE OF JACOBUS VAET
Jacobus Vaet, 'who from l$6k until his death in 1567 was the chief
Kapellmeister of Emperor Maximilian II in Vienna, is one of the many
Renaissance musicians about whom very little is known. That he came
from the Low Countries is attested by the title pages of the two-volume
collection of his motets published by Antonio Gardano of Venice in
1562, "Jacobi Vaet Flandri Modulationes....11. In the preface of this
collection Vaet refers to himself as "Jacobus Vaet Belga" and states;
that he had studied sacred music since childhood. These few refer­
ences constitute the only information about Vaet's early life to be
found in any documents dating from the time of his maturity.
However, from an earlier source some knowledge of his youth as
well as of the date and place of his birth may be obtained. In the
records of the Chapter of the Church of Notre Bane at Courtrai^ are
references to a Jacobus vanden (or vander) Vaet who served the church
as a choir-boy from May of 15U3 to June of 15U6. To be sure, Vaet's
name does not appear in other documents with the prefix "vanden", but
it was not an uncommon custom so to change one's name. The same
Courtrai. records, for example, contain references to a Petrus vanden
Broele and his son Judocus, both of whose names appear in other sources;
\s reprinted in Joseph Schmidt-Gorg, "Bie Acta Capitularia der
Notre-Bame-Kirche zu Kortrijk als musikgeschichtliche Quelle,"
Vlaamsch Jaarboek voor Muziekgeschiedenis, vol. I, (1939), pp. 21-80.
^Schmidt-Gorg reco>gnizes that this might be Jacobus Vaet but does not
attempt to prove the fact. Cf. op. cit., p. 26.
<r
2
without the prefix.^
The first entry to pertain to Vaet occurs on folio 99* of the
records under the date February 17, 15^3* It reads:
...eomparente coraa dominie in ...Bgidius vanden 7aet( undersaeristan
capitulo magistro Bgldio vanden of Buele [?] appeared before the heads
vaet custode de huele ac suppil- of the Chapter and petitioned that
cante quatenus prefatj dominl when any of the four choir-boys should
uhl aliquis ex q.uatuor chorall- undergo a change of voice, the afore­
hue inciderIt in mutationen vocie mentioned heads deign to accept his
dlgnarentur filium suua Jacobum son, Jacobus, as a ehoir-boy of this
acceptare in choralam haiue church, with the usual stipend and
eecleele cum stipend! js et mercede compensation. After they had heard
sol it le quibus audit is matura d»- this request, and after mature delib­
liberatione deeuper hablta doainj eration, the heads answered that if
reaponderunt quod si fllius euue his son is and continues to be in
fuerit ft naneerit idoneus in good voice (so that it can be hoped
voce adeo quod verlsimillter spe- that he will be able to serve the
retur lpsum posee ad aliquod church for some years in the Bame way
aanoe inservire eccleeie More as the other choir-boys) they will
aliorum chorallum preferent cum give him preference when an opening
alleuiue occurrente vaeatione occurs. However, they will do so on
loci ea tamen lege quod oecurrente condition that should a change of
nutatione sue vocie aliculus qui voice take place in any boy who has
ante eua eervivlt eeclesie quod served before him, the one who is
ia qui eo senior eat in gervitio older in service than he, would be
preferretur ei quod echolie eo given preference [for further priv­
quod extunc natus eet annie xli.1 ileges] because he [Jacobus] has served
et alij ingervierunt ah ineunte the school only since he was 13 years
state. old, whereas the others have served
from their earliest years.
According to this entry, Vaet was et this time thirteen years of
age. Hence his birthdate would be 1530, or possibly 1529. It is appar­
ent from the next item in the Chapter records to mention Jacobus, that
the place of his birth was Courtrai. This entry occurs on folio 100 of
the records and is dated May 16, 15^3s
Cf. Hobert Sitner, Biographiscb-Blbliographisches Quellen-Lexikon dcr
Muslker und Musikgelehrten der christllchen Zeitrechnung. (Leipzig,
1898), article, "Brule," vol. II, pp. 210f., also Edmond vander Straetcn,
La Muslque aux Pays-Bas avant le AH. Sleds. (Brussels, 1886-8)
vol. Ill, p. 234-.
3
...dominj de Capitulo acceptarunt ...The heads of the Chapter have ac-
Jacobum vanden vaet filium Egidij cepted Jacobus vanden Vaet, the son
oriundum curtraco in choralem of Egidius, a native of Courtrai, as
huius ecclesie loco Johannis a choir-boy of this church in place
persyn qui insalutatis dominis de of Johannis Persyn who, without
capitulo neque ab aliquo dominorum saying farewell to the heads of the
privatim petita licentia discessit Chapter, and without asking permis-
et deserrit ecclesiam... sion privately of any of them, went
away and forsook the church...
Jacobus spent three years as a choir-boy at Courtrai. During
this time the magister cantus, the man responsible for his musical educa­
tion, was Eustatius Barbion. It is significant in this regard that Vaet,
as will be shown later, based one of his parody motets on a work by this
composer. By 15U6 the choir-bqy's voice must have changed. An entry of
June 6 in that year (folio 131v) reads:
...Domini decanus et capitulum ...The heads, deacon, and Chapter, at
annverunt jacobo vander vaet the humble request of Master Egidius
chorali, licet triennio duntaxat his father, have approved for the choir-
servivit, ad humilem supplica- boy, Jacobus vander Vaet, although he
tionem magistri egidij patris sui has served only three years, a grant
in subsidium biennalis studij for two years' study. He is charged to
quod debebit diligenter litteris spend this time in learning letters
impendere, quolibet anno xxx l.p. diligently, wherever he will, and may
capiendas super fundationem receive from the choir-bqy foundation
choralium, per quondam magistmm established by the former chief singer,
iacobum van Thielt factamT . Jacobus van Thielt 30 l.p. [libras
parisienses ] per year.
The final entry in the Courtrai records to pertain to Vaet appears
on the same folio as the foregoing and is dated July 12, lf&6j
...Domini decanus et capitulum ...The heads, deacon, and Chapter have
annverunt Jacobo vander vaet nuper approved a choir robe for Jacobus van-
chorali habiium chori. ” der Vaet, recently a choir-boy.
The evidence that identifies Jacobus vander Vaet, the choir-boy of
Courtrai, with Jacobus Vaet, the Hapsburg Kapellmeister, is largely cir­
cumstantial, but nonetheless convincing. Most significant is the fact that
a number of Hapsburg court musicians figure in the Chapter records of Notre
Dame of Courtrai and were connected with that church. Before Vaet's time,