Mass Settings of Heinrich Isaac
(c.1450-1517)
© Dr. Jeffrey Carter
Flemish composer Heinrich Isaac, one of the most gifted, versatile, and influential of Renaissance era composers, was born circa 1450 in Flanders. The first definitive record of his life and travels exists in Innsbruck in 1484 as he was traveling to Florence . His first principal employer was Lorenzo de' Medici of Florence, and Isaac maintained close ties with Florence the Medici family his entire life. He sang in "Cantori di S. Giovanni" at the cathedral, in addition to composing masses, motets, and Italian songs.
In April 1497 Isaac became court composer for the Hapsburg Emperor Maximilian I, who was then settled in northern Italy. Isaac adopted the liturgical and musical customs of his employer, but imbued the German style with his Netherlands skill. His position with the Hofkappele seems to have allowed him freedom to travel and work elsewhere instead of requiring full-time residence; Isaac has connections to Constance, Innsbruck, Ferrare, Augsburg, Nuremburg, and Torgau, among other cities. Most of Isaac's music was written for his two principal employers, and for other patrons and churches.
Isaac was awarded a pension by the city of Florence in 1514, this at the behest of Pope Leo X, a Medici family member. He spent his last few years in Florence; records vaguely indicate a diplomatic capacity for Maximilian. He died in March 1517, leaving compositions of extraordinary range and high quality, and esteemed as well for his character.
Evaluation of the historical record shows Isaac to be one of the most significant composers of the Josquin generation. His music stands beside Josquin's in scope and quality, although his influence was more keenly felt in conservative German circles than with more forward-looking Italian composers. His famous pupil Ludwig Senfl succeeded him as court composer to the Hapsburgs. Late 16th century theorists speak of his skill in composing on a cantus firmus, as well as his mastery of florid counterpoint and canon. He was a professionally successful musician whose patrons included three of the most powerful men in Europe. Says Picker:
For them and for the institutions they governed and served, Isaac composed a vast array of sacred and secular, vocal and instrumental works, ranging in style from intricate polyphony in the Flemish manner to limpid French and Italian love songs, from ceremonial music expressing the pageantry and power of the church and state to rollicking songs in French, Italian and German embodying the popular, secular spirit of the Renaissance, and from rich choral textures for the church to exquisite chamber music for courtly entertainment. (p. ix)
In addition to the uniformly high quality of his music, he is further significant for spending a great deal of his life in German lands, instead of following the pattern set by other Franco-Flemish composers of traveling between Italy and France. As such, he was the first great ambassador of the Netherlands style to the Germans, and a significant influence on their own musical development, leading to the movement of German music into the mainstream of European musical tradition.
Choralis Constantinus
The Choralis constantinus are settings of the proper of the day mass for Sundays and major feast days. In April 1508, Isaac was commissioned by the cathedral chapter at Constance to set propers for major feasts. The first major setting of the propers since Leonin and Perotin's Magnus liber organi in the 12th and 13th centuries, this is a monumental work, published in three volumes (1550, 1555) in an edition by Ludwig Senfl, Isaac's student. Book III represents the original commission, while Books I and II contain music composed by Isaac for the Hofkapelle.
Mass Settings
Isaac's mass ordinaries fall into two categories: through-composed and "alternation." Additional mass movements are categorized in the same manner. The former group are based on secular or sacred models, including chant, secular monophonic songs and dances, and polyphonic lieder and chansons. "Alternation" masses generally consist of alternating sections of choral polyphony and plainchant. Such masses were the norm at certain German courts, including that of Maximilian. Isaac most likely conformed to the customs and standards of the institution for which he composed the mass. Martin Staehelin says that
Up to the time of his employment in Germany Isaac seems to have been committed to the Netherlands tradition of through-composed settings of the Ordinary using foreign borrowed material. After 1496, however, he apparently wrote few works of this type; instead, particularly in the first decade of the 16th century, the bulk of his mass compositions were alternatim settings of Gregorian Ordinaries in which only some parts of the text were set polyphonically, the rest begin sung to the chant in unison by the choir or played on the organ. (p. 331)
Through-composed mass cycles
Missa Argentum et aurum, 4 vv; cantus firmus is an antiphon; MDenk 8
Missa carminum, 4 vv; cantus firmi are popular German songs; "Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen" appears in Christe; "Bruder Konrad" appears in Agnus Dei
Missa Charge de deul, 4 vv; cantus firmus is an anonymous virelai
Missa Comme femme desconfortee, 4 vv; cantus firmus is tenor of a rondeau by Binchois
Missa Comment poit avoir joi, 4 vv; cantus firmus is popular French song; AMM 10
Missa Comment poit avoir joi, 6 vv; cantus firmus is popular song
Missa Een vrolic wesenn, 4 vv; cantus firmi from Lied by Jacob Barbireau
Missa Et trop penser, 4 vv; cantus firmi are soprano and tenor of chanson by "Bosfrin" based on a popular song
Missa ferialis, 4 vv; cantus firmi are ordinary chants; lacks Gloria and Credo
Missa La mi la sol/O praeclara, 4 vv; cantus firmus is a solmization theme, composed in 1502; MDenk 8
Missa La spagna, 4 vv; cantus firmus is a basse-danse melody; AMM 10
Missa Misericordia Domini, 4 vv; meas. 1-9 of Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, and Sanctus, and beginning of Agnus III are frottola, "In focho, in focho la mia vita"
Missa Quant j'ay au cueur, 4 vv; cantus firmus is tenor of rondeau by Busnois; head-motive from soprano and tenor of rondeau; AMM 10
Missa Salva nos, 4 vv; cantus firmus is an antiphon; head-motive from antiphon in all movements; MDenk 8
Missa T'meiskin was jonck, 4 vv; cantus firmus is tenor of Lied attributed to Isaac, Japart, and Obrecht, based on a popular song; head-motive from Lied in all movements
Missa Une musque de Biscaye, 4 vv; cantus firmus (in soprano) is popular song; see also mass and chanson by Josquin
Missa Virgo prudentissima, 6 vv; cantus firmus is an antiphon; see also 4 vv and 6 vv motets "Virgo prudentissima"; MDenk 8
Alternatim mass cycles
These masses consist of sections of polyphony designed to alternate with plainchant or organ versets; both practices were current in Germany. The mass ordinary cycles are counterparts to the mass propers in Choralis constantinus and reflect similar liturgical emphasis on chant. Most lack Credos, so we assume interpolation of individual Credos.
Missa de apostolis, 4 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary; IsaacF
Missa de apostolis, 5 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary; OO 3
Missa de apostolis, 6 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary, mainly in soprano and tenor; OO 1
Missa de beata virgine, 4 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary; MDenk 7
Missa de beata virgine, 5 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary; MDenk 7, OO 2
Missa de beata virgine, 5 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary; MDenk 7, OO 2
Missa de beata virgine, 6 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary; MDenk 7, OO 1
Missa de confessoribus, 4 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary; IsaacF
Missa de confessoribus 5 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary, OO 3
Missa de martyribus, 4 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary; IsaacF
Missa de martyribus, 5 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary; OO 3
Missa de virginibus, 5 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary; OO 3
Missa paschalis, 4 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary; IsaacF
Missa paschalis ad orgunum, 4 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary
Missa paschalis, 5 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary; OO 2
Missa paschalis, 6 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary,
mainly in soprano and tenor; OO 1
Missa solemnis, 4 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary; IsaacF
Missa solemnis, 5 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary; OO 2
Missa solemnis, 6 vv; cantus firmi from chants of the ordinary, mainly in soprano and tenor; OO 1
Individual mass movements
Gloria, 4 vv
13 Credo, 4 vv
Sanctus Fortuna desperata, 4 vv
Six lost masses
Selected Editions
AMM H. Isaac: Messe. ed. F. Fano. Archivium musices metropolitanum mediolanense, 10. Milan: Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, 1962. M2.A538
IsaacF H. Isaac: Five Polyphonic Masses. ed. Louise Cuyler. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1956. M2011.I8C.
MDenk H. Isaac: Messen. ed. M. Staehelin. Musikalische Denkmaler, 7-8. Mainz: B. Schott's Sohne, 1970-73. M2.M925
OO H. Isaac: Opera omnia. ed. Edward R. Lerner. CMM 65. Stuttgart: Hassler-Verlag, 1974- . M3.I79
Vols. 1-3: Alternation masses for 6, 5 vv. (1974)
Vol. 4: Alternation masses for 4 v. (1977)
Vol. 5: Credos (1977)
Vols. 6-7: Cyclic masses (1984)
Missa Carminum
Like the music of many other composers of his time, Isaac's music fell into oblivion after his death. Only his song "Innsbruch, ich muss dich lassen" kept his name alive. His tremendous Choralis Constantinus and many masses were known only to musicologists. Missa carminum remains the best-known of his mass settings.
Missa carminum includes cantus firmi based on folk songs and other lieder. "Innsbruch" appears as Christe II in tenor style with double cantus firmus. "Bruder Konrad, der lag siech" is the cantus firmus of Agnues Dei III. At other times, Isaac takes a head motive and a random line from other songs and weaves them among four voices.
Bibliography
Albrecht, Hans. "Henricus Isaac." In Die Musik in Geschicte und Gegenwart, 6. Kassel, Germany: Barenreiter.
Feiszli, James. "Performance Editions from Heinrich Isaac's Choralis Constantinus." Dissertation, 1984.
Mahrt, William P. "The Missae ad organum of Heinrich Isaac." Ph. D. diss., Stanford University, 1969.
Moser, Hans J. Missae Carminum. Wolfenbuttel, Germany: Moseler, 1962.
Picker, Martin. Henricus Isaac: A Guide to Research. New York: Garland, 1991. ML134.I8.P5
Staehelin, Martin. Die Messen Heinrich Isaacs. 3 vols. Bern: Paul Haupt, 1977.
Staehelin, Martin. "Heinrich Isaac." In The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 9, ed. Stanley Sadie. New York: MacMillan, 1980.