What was a L’homme armé mass?
La Fleur de la Renaissance ⚜️
We’re wrapping up our season on May 8 & 9 with La Fleur de la Renaissance, a program of rich, resplendent polyphony from Renaissance France. The concert is shaped around a pastiche mass built from several L’Homme armé settings, interwoven with chansons and motets by Josquin des Prez, Clément Janequin, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, and others.
What was a L’homme armé mass? From Charles Edward McGuire’s pre-concert talk:
One of the most enduring and wonderful mysteries of Renaissance music is that of the L’homme armé (the armed man) mass tradition. Starting in the 1450s, composers used the melody of the song L’homme armé as a cantus firmus – a pre-existing melody that composers would use as inspiration for a new polyphonic composition. In most cases, you can hear the original tune sung in one voice, while composers would set new, contrapuntal lines in others, in settings of the prayers of the Ordinary from the Catholic mass. Over the course of the next two hundred years, composers from the areas that are now the countries of France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and even Italy used the L’homme armé tune in over 40 settings of the mass. These include some of the most famous figures of the era, such as Guillaume DuFay, Jean de Ockeghem, Antoine Busnoy, and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
The L’homme armé tune itself has a very simple text: it is about the appearance of an armed man who “should be feared.” Aside from that general warning, we do not know if there was a deeper meaning to the song. Even why the song exists is unknown; popular theories about it range from horror from the battles of the Hundred Years War between England and France (which ended in 1453, about the time that the first mass settings were composed), to musicologist Richard Taruskin’s theory that the thirty-one measures of the song were meant to symbolize the thirty-one nights from the Order of the Golden Fleece, a Catholic order of chivalry begun in 1430 to celebrate the marriage of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to Isabella of Portugal. But the theories themselves are not as fantastic as the sheer number of composers who used the L’homme armé tune as a basis for their own music. In La Fleur de la Renaissance, we will have the chance to sample the beautiful richness of Renaissance counterpoint, hearing selections of six composers’ masses based on L’homme armé.
Hear more from Dr. McGuire when you join us 45 minutes prior to the concert for his pre-concert talk.
Friday, May 8, 7:30pm, Trinity Cathedral, Cleveland
Saturday, May 9, 7:30pm, First Lutheran Church, Lorain
Check out this playlist, curated by Artistic Director Gregory Ristow, of the concert’s music! Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.
Inspired by the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning’s mission of nurturing the creative spark in youth across the NEOhio region, the choir will direct a portion of the pay what you wish ticket donations to them, as our charitable partner for this concert.
The choir is grateful for the grant support provided by the Cleveland Foundation, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, The George Gund Foundation, The Louise H. and David S. Ingalls Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council, and support by Trinity Cathedral as named Artist in Residence.
Coming Soon
United in Song! CCC at Severance Music Center
CCC has been selected to perform as one of four choirs in the “United in Song!” concert at Severance Music Center on Saturday, May 16, as part of The Cleveland Orchestra’s Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival. The choir will sing a 25 minute set, on themes of unity and courage. We’re incredibly excited to perform on the stage of the Mandel Concert Hall, as part of this afternoon of joyous vocal performances, representing the rich diversity of the Greater Cleveland choral community. Reserve Your FREE Tickets
Saturday, May 16, 1:00-3:00pm, Severance Music Center
Walk On: The Power of Carousel with The Musical Theater Project 🎠
In 1999, Time magazine named Carousel the Best Musical of the 20th century and wrote that Rodgers and Hammerstein “set the standards for the 20th century musical…this show features their most beautiful score and the most skillful and affecting example of their musical storytelling”. The Cleveland Chamber Choir joins The Musical Theater project as soloists and chorus for this docu-concert. Purchase your tickets today.
Sunday, June 14, 3:00pm, Cleveland Museum of Art, Gartner Auditorium
Save the Date: Night at the Cabaret
Don’t miss our annual fundraiser! This event sold out last year, so mark your calendars now, and watch for more information.
Thursday, August 13, BOP STOP
