YEARBOOK OF THE ALAMIRE FOUNDATION

POLYPHONY AND WORD-SOUND IN ADRIAN WILLAERT’S LAUS TIBI SACRA RUBENS
Example 2. Adrian Willaert, Laus tibi sacra rubens, bb. 30–49 (after the modern edition by Walter
Gerstenberg, see note 1).
for a ternary, purely homophonic setting. In verse 9, laus tibi sancte cruor nullis peritura
diebus he even includes a short dialogue between the higher (bars 90–93: bassus
tacet) and lower voices (bars 94–102: cantus tacet). As the voices are now proceeding
simultaneously, changing their syllables all at the same time, this aurally transparent
passage forms a remarkable moment of repose as compared with the other
verses. What is more, it seems to me that through this sudden contrast, the effect of
the former verses, with their constantly changing textures and their rich sonic activity,
can actually be experienced twice as strongly.
In conclusion, I would like to stress two points. First of all, it seems to be clear that
a piece such as Laus tibi sacra rubens can provide new insights into the way Adrian
Willaert planned his music. Research over the past few decades has already shown
us that the composer took extraordinary care in translating the structure and the content
of the texts he set to music. His motet in honour of the Holy Blood now makes
it clear that the sonic characteristics of the words also determined the organisation
of his contrapuntal texture. In his hands polyphony became an ideal vehicle for exploring
the phonetic richness of a text, both on a horizontal and vertical level. Or, as
Jonathan Miller puts it: “Willaert’s skillful weaving of vowels, consonants, and
accents into a polyphonic fabric reveals a master at work, one who seems as devoted
to the sounds of the poetry he sets as he is to the poem’s structural and syntactical
sense.” 18 Furthermore, I strongly believe that these analytical results could have
18 MILLER, Word-Sound and Musical Texture, p. 177.
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