Sub Arturo plebs / Fons citharizancium / [In omnem terram]

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composer

Johannes Alanus (fl late 14th century-early 15th century)

3vv

author of text

Anonymous - Medieval

The conspicuously showy isorhythmic motet Sub Arturo plebs / Fons citharizancium / [In omnem terram] by Alanus shows significant Continental influence. As is normal with the genre, it is built up in layers from the tenor cantus firmus, with the two other voices carrying different but connected texts. In this case, the middle voice traces the story of music from the book of Genesis, through the theory of Pythagoras, Boethius and others, and the teaching of Pope Gregory the Great. Finally, in the text set to the top part, the composer lists outstanding English musicians of his time, amongst whom he modestly includes himself. Alanus stresses his own ingenuity in passages which involve intricate rhythmic interference between the voices.

At present, we cannot identify exactly who Alanus was, though he may have been the John Aleyn who was a chaplain in the court chapel of Edward III and who died in 1373. Assuming Sub Arturo plebs was written some time around 1370, that would place it as a natural forerunner of the isorhythmic music in the Old Hall Manuscript, by far the largest and most important surviving source of English sacred repertory from the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries.

Ici, la pièce la plus ancienne qui fait l’objet d’une attribution définie est le motet isorythmique manifestement ostentatoire Sub Arturo plebs / Fons citharizancium / [In omnem terram] d’Alanus qui est aussi le seul jusqu’ici à montrer une influence du Continent. Selon l’usage en la matière, il est construit en couches à partir du cantus firmus du ténor, avec les deux autres voix sur des textes différents mais apparentés. Dans ce cas, celui du milieu fait l’historique de la musique à partir du livre de la Genèse, en passant par la théorie de Pythagore, Boèce et d’autres, et par l’enseignement du pape Grégoire le Grand. Pour finir, dans le texte mis en musique à la partie supérieure, le compositeur dresse une liste de musiciens anglais remarquables de l’époque, parmi lesquels il s’inclut en toute modestie. Alanus souligne sa propre ingéniosité dans des passages qui impliquent une interférence rythmique complexe entre les voix.

À l’heure actuelle, on ne peut identifier avec exactitude qui était Alanus, peut-être était-ce un certain John Aleyn, chapelain à la chapelle de la cour d’Édouard III qui mourut en 1373. En supposant que Sub Arturo plebs ait été écrit vers 1370, ce serait un précurseur naturel de la musique isorythmique que l’on trouve dans l’Old Hall Manuscript, de loin la source la plus vaste et la plus importante qui nous soit parvenue pour le répertoire de musique sacrée anglaise de la fin du XIVe et du début du XVe siècle.

extrait des notes rédigées par Gareth Curtis © 2017
Français: Marie-Stella Pâris

Das älteste hier vorliegende Stück mit einer definitiven Zuschreibung ist die auffallend prächtige isorhythmische Motette Sub Arturo plebs / Fons citharizancium / [In omnem terram] von Alanus, welche gleichzeitig als bisher erstes Werk wichtige Einflüsse des europäischen Kontinents aufweist. Wie bei diesem Genre gebräuchlich, ist das Stück vom Tenor als Cantus firmus ausgehend in Schichten aufgebaut, wobei die beiden anderen Stimmen unterschiedliche, jedoch zusammengehörige Texte vortragen. In diesem Fall zeichnet die Mittelstimme die Entwicklung der Musik von der Genesis über die theoretischen Werke des Pythagoras, Boethius und anderen bis hin zu der Lehre von Papst Gregor I. nach. Im Text der Oberstimme zählt der Komponist schließlich hervorragende englische Musiker seiner Zeit auf, wobei er seinen eigenen Namen bescheiden hinzufügt. Alanus unterstreicht seinen Einfallsreichtum in Passagen, in denen zwischen den Stimmen besonders komplexe rhythmische Wechselwirkungen stattfinden.

Derzeit ist es nicht möglich, Alanus hundertprozentig zu identifizieren, doch besteht die Möglichkeit, dass er John Aleyn war—ein Kaplan an der Hofkapelle Eduards III., der 1373 starb. Wenn man davon ausgeht, dass Sub Arturo plebs um 1370 herum entstand, dann würde es sich dabei um einen Vorläufer der isorhythmischen Musik des Old Hall Manuscript handeln, welches wiederum die bei weitem größte und bedeutendste überlieferte Quelle englischer geistlicher Musik des ausgehenden 14. und beginnenden 15. Jahrhunderts ist.

aus dem Begleittext von Gareth Curtis © 2017
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

Recordings

Beneath the northern star

The Orlando Consort

Studio Master: CDA68132Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

This new album from The Orlando Consort charts the rise, and radical development, of English polyphony.» More

Music for the 100 Years' War

The Binchois Consort, Andrew Kirkman (conductor)

Studio Master: CDA68170Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

Music spanning the century of Agincourt and the House of Lancaster brought vividly to life by Andrew Kirkman and The Binchois Consort.» More

Details

The Orlando Consort

Track 6 on CDA68132 [4'49]

Triplum: Sub Arturo plebs vallata
Plaudat melos; laus ornata
Psallatur altissimo.
Anglis conferentur grata
Eventu piissimo.

En milicia cum clero
Floret; musicorum vero
Chorus odas iubilat,
E quibus modo sincero
J de Corbe emicat.

Cuius non previsas posco
Res, quas J de Alto Bosco
Reserat theorica,
Qua fulgens vernat, ut nosco,
T Marconi practica.

Piis placent ac tirannis
Res Ricardi Blith, Johannis
Necnon de Exonia,
Arte cuius multis annis
Fulsit Cantuaria.

Sed G Mughe, radix florum,
Det generibus melorum;
Edmundus de Buria
Basis aurea tenorum
Est, quem fovet curia.

Princeps bellicus probavit
Quas Oxwick G res creavit,
Rutilantes oculo,
Episwich J quas gustavit
Mire vocis modulo.

Flos Oxonie miratur
Nicholaus, qui vocatur
De Vado Famelico;
E de Miresco iungatur
His triplo mirifico.

Prepollet G de Horarum
Fonte lira; vox non parum
Mulcet aures Simonis
Clementis, os cuius clarum
Manus nitet organis.

Practizat Adam Levita
Precellenter. Quorum vita
Sana diu vigeat,
Ut et illis, qua finita,
Porta celi pateat.

Motetus: Fons citharizancium
Ac organizancium
Tubal predicatur,
Musice primordia
Sculpans ut historia
Genesis testatur.

Pondera Pictagore
Numerorum decore
Artis vernant legem,
Quam rimans Boecius
Propalavit latius
Regum laudans Regem.

Doctrina Gregorii
Gesta Dei Filii
Canit omnis ordo;
Guido fons inicia
Lineas et spacia
Dedit monocordo;

Sed Franco theorice
Dat mensuram musice
Quam colores ligant.
Fontes hi sunt seculi
Adhuc quorum rivuli
Cuncta regna rigant.

Huius pes triplarii
Bis sub emiolii
Normis recitatur,
Ut hi pulsent dominum
Quorum numen nominum
Triplo modulatur.

Illis licet infimus
J Alanus minimus
Sese recommendat,
Quatenus ab invidis
Ipsum sonis validis
Laus horum defendat.

Triplum: Let the people protected by Arthur
applaud song; let embellished praise
be sung to the most high.
Pleasing things will be conferred on the English
in a most holy result.

Lo, the military flourishes with
the clergy; the chorus of musicians,
moreover, shouts its odes,
from whom John of Corby
shines out in unblemished fashion.

Whose compositions not seen before I invoke,
which John Hauboys unlocks
in his Book of Theory,
from which the radiating practice
of Thomas Marcon springs, as I know.

The compositions of Richard Blithe
please holy people and kings,
also those of John of Exeter,
with whose art Canterbury
radiated for many years.

But let William Mugge, the root of the flowers,
contribute to the types of songs;
Edmund of Bury
is the golden foundation of the tenors,
whom the court favours.

The warlike prince approved the compositions
which William Oxwick created,
glowing golden to the eye,
which John Ipswich savoured
with the melody of his wonderful voice.

The flower of Oxford is wondered at,
Nicholas who is called
‘of Hungerford’;
let Edmund de Miresco be joined to them
in a wondrous threesome.

William of Tideswell excels
on the lyre; the voice of Simon Clement
soothes the ears not a little,
the bone of whose hand
shines bright upon the organ.

Adam the Deacon performs
excellently. May the healthful life
of these men flourish for a long time,
so that for them, when all is done,
the gate of heaven may lie open.

Motetus: Tubal is proclaimed
the source of harp-playing
and organ-playing,
fashioning the beginnings
of music as the story
of Genesis relates.

The weights of Pythagoras
by the beauty of numbers
make the law of art spring,
which Boethius examining
opened out more widely,
praising the king of kings.

By the teaching of Gregory
every order sings the deeds
of the Son of God;
Guido [of Arezzo] the source gave principles,
lines, and spaces
to the monochord;

but Franco [of Cologne] gives to the theory
of music measure
which the colours bind.
These are the springs
of the age, whose rivers
still water all the realms.

The ‘foot’ [tenor] of this three-part piece
is [sung once and] repeated twice
under the rules of hemiolus so that those,
the majesty of whose names
is sung in the triplum,
may importune the lord.

To them the lowest,
least, John Allen [Johannes Alanus]
recommends himself
so that the praise of these men
may with mighty sounds
defend him from envious men.

The Binchois Consort, Andrew Kirkman (conductor)

Track 2 on CDA68170 [4'03]

triplum:
Sub Arturo plebs vallata
Plaudat melos; laus ornata
Psallatur altissimo.
Anglis conferentur grata
Eventu piissimo.