Philippe de Monte

(1521-1603)

Philippe de Monte, a renowned Flemish composer of the sixteenth century, is particularly known for his secular compositions.  He was born in Mechelen, but moved to Italy while young, where he made his living as a teacher, singer, and composer.  A brief chronology of his life, mentioning only important dates, must include:

1542          in Naples in service of Pinelli family

1554          first published music appears

1554          in England as chorus praefectus in private chapel of Phillip II of Spain

1555          leaves England

1568          court Kapellmeister at Hapsburg court (Palestrina turned down this position)

1569          begins nearly annual publication of at least one volume of works

1572          appointed treasurer of Cambrai Cathedral (and canon in 1577)

1587          Publication of first book of mass settings

The remainder of his life was spent in service to the Hapsburg court, either in Prague or Vienna.  His circle of friends and acquaintances included William Byrd--with whom he exchanged compositions--and Lassus.

Monte composed more secular works than sacred, although in both areas he was prolific.  Few of his 40 masses were published in his lifetime, but most of other sacred works were published.  He wrote over 1,100 madrigals, published in 34 books.  His time at the Hapsburg court was an especially productive and successful period.

The mass settings display a mastery of traditional parody techniques. Motets form the basis of the masses in his first book (1587), the Liber I Missarum Philippi de Monte Ecclesiae Metropolitanae Cameracensis canonici ac thesaurarii et sacratissimi Rudolphi II Imperatoris etc. chori praefecti. As the title indicates, the composer and printer expected more collections of masses by published in due course.

Present research indicates he built three masses on motets by himself. Other composers whose motets were used are Josquin, Jachet de Mantua, Lassus, and Rore.  Monte also used chansons and madrigals as parody material, including those by Josquin, Lassus, Palestrina, Rore, and Verdelot.

Monte's mass settings are primarily contrapuntal.  Lengthy melismas are prevalent.  His music is well-supplied with specified accidentals.

Parody Technique

Monte is considered a master of the art of the parody mass.  A parody mass differs from a cantus firmus mass in that, instead of using a pre-existing melody as (most frequently) a tenor, whole sections of a completed composition are incorporated into a work, occasionally without significant alteration.  Lenaerts states that Monte is an "important master of the missa parodia.  Motet, chanson, and madrigal have an equal attraction for him."[1]  In  several pages of discussion of Monte's parody mass style, the author mentions several masses, and says "Monte, unlike Lassus, uncovers and intensifies the expression of the borrowed polyphonic work--its deeper harmonies, its harmonic or chromatic refinement, or its madrigalisms voicing the secret shades of emotion."[2]

George Michael's dissertation on Monte's parody mass technique discusses most of the composer's masses in great detail.  A lengthy summary chapter lists several salient characteristics:

1.  Monte's use of the pre-existent polyphonic complex is never perfunctory.

2.  As the Mass progresses, more and more freedom is exercised in the use of the pre-existent material.

3.  The simplest type of alteration is that in which minor changes are made in the rhythm of the subject.

4.  Monte is likely to rework the polyphony of the model, primarily by the introduction of passing notes, auxiliary notes and the like.  (Compare to early 16th-century Paris school, where composers were likely to abbreviate rather than expand.)

5.  More often than not, if paired imitation is employed by the model, the pairing of the voices will be ignored by Monte, who permits himself great freedom between the horizontal distance and vertical distance between imitative entries.

6.  Monte occasionally changes the first note of a single-line subject, altering the effect of the subject considerably.

7.  Monte occasionally indulges in changes of vocal "orchestration" within two voices, departing, after paired imitation has begun, from the inner voice part, or departing from the primary voice part while the inner part assumes the melodic material originally given the primary part.

8.  Monte infrequently introduces a subject in a position other than that in which it occurred in the model.

9.  Monte most often includes accidentals in his mass settings which we be present through musica ficta in the performed version of the model.

10. Monte frequently "develops" the subject matter from the model through changing of pitch level, overlapping one subject over another, inversion of subjects, extracting a single voice line to become the basis for a relatively large section of a mass, expanding or decreasing the number of voices for which the mass is written, and other methods.[3]

Finally, Lenearts' conclusion is worth repeating:

    It seems evident that in Masses of the type of Cara la vita mia the parody technique has reached its complete growth.  Technically the entire Mass is impregnated by the model, whose resonance is met with on every page.  This time, as with Lassus, the whole motet or madrigal is used: melody, rhythmical characteristics, harmony, and principal cadences.  Although some free fragments are interpolated, we are unceasingly recalled to the model by innumerable reminiscences.  But Monte, unlike Lassus, transcends the technique: he achieves the artistic feat that in numerous places the parody reaches the model's emotional contents, its predominant expression, and the different colors through which it passes in the development.  At this stage, the parody is complete from within and from without.[4]

Editions

Tresor musical, ed. R. van Maldeghem.  Brussels, 1865-1893.

Phillippe de Monte: Opera, ed. Carolus van den Borren and G van Doorslaer. Bruges: Editions Desclee de Brouwer, 1927-39.  31 vols.  Reprint Broude Brothers 1965.  [B]

            780.811  M764ws  1927

Phillippe de Monte: New Complete Edition, ed. Rene Bernard Lenaerts and others.  Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1975- .  Masses in Series B.  [L]

            M3.M763

Mass Settings

Missa ad modulum Benedicta es, 6 vv; Antwerp, 1579; based on Josquin's motet Benedicta es; basic melodic material from plainchant sequence "Benedicta es coelorum regina" L7

Liber primus missarum, 5, 6 and 8 vv; seven masses total, Antwerp, 1587

Missa Ad te levavi; based on motet "Ad te levavi oculos meos--Miserere nostri" by Cipriano de Rore; L1

Missa Emitte Domine; no model extant; L1

Missa Si ambulavero; based on his own motet; L1

Missa Deus Deus meus; L1

Missa Confitebor tibi Domine; based on Lassus motet; L7

Missa super Cum sit omnipotens rector Olympi; based on his own motet; B24

Missa Quomodo dilexi; text from Psalm 119:97ff; no model extant

Missa ad imitationem moduli Gallici Mon coeur se recommande a vous, 5 vv; Nurnberg, 1590; based on Lassus chanson "Mon coeur se recommande a vous;" L7

Missa Anchor che col partire, 4 vv; based on madrigal by Rore; B8

Missa Aspice Domine, 6 vv; based on motet by Jachet de Mantua; B26

Missa Cara la vita mia, 5 vv; based on madrigal by Giaches de Wert; B21

Missa Inclina cor meum, 5 vv; based on his own motet; B1

Missa La dolce vista, 8 vv; based on his own madrigal; B14

Missa Nasce la pena mia, 6 vv; based on madrigal by Striggio; B10

Missa O altitudo divitiarum, 5 vv; based on motet by Rore; B4

Missa pro defunctis, 5 vv; built on plainsong; B13

Missa Quando lieta sperai, 5 vv; based on madrigal by Rore; B23

Missa Reviens vers moi, 4 vv; based on his own chanson; B9

Missa Ultimi miei sospiri, 6 vv; based on madrigal by Verdelot; B5

Missa sexti toni, 6 vv

Missa septimi toni, 5 vv

Missa spetimi toni, 6 vv

Missa ad tonum pregrinum, 6 vv

Five untitled four-voice masses; three in B3, B9 and B16

Four untitled five-voice masses; one in B28

Five untitled six-voice masses; four in B7, B18, B30 and B31

One untitled eight-voice mass; B19

Bibliography

Sadie, Stanley, ed.  New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.  New York: MacMillan, 1980.  S. v. "Philippe de Monte," by Milton Steinhardt.

Leneart, R. M.  "The 16th-Century Parody Mass in the Netherlands."  The Musical Quarterly 35 (July 1950): 410-21.  ML1.M725.vol 26.1950

Michael, George A.  "The Parody Mass Technique of Philippe de Monte."  Ph. D. diss., New York University, 1958.  ML410.M755.M5.1958

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