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• 3 Canonic Songs of the 14th century

3 Canonic Songs of the 14th century

for 3 voices or instruments.

These canonic pieces are part of a specific genre that flourished in Italy during the second half of the fourteenth century. Most Italian pieces of this kind are caccie: in these the apparent subject-matter of the poem is the hunting of birds and small animals, though sometimes, as in Nel bosco senza folglie the real subject seems to be pursuit of a sexual nature. A common feature of the caccia is the imitation of bird calls and sounds such as hunting horns; another is the use of hocketing (single off-beat notes). The majority of pieces in the repertoire have a distinctly virtuosic character: they certainly demand great clarity of articulation from the singers. The canonic method was often applied to the madrigal, as in no. 3 here, and occasionally to the ballata, as in no. 1.
Most pieces of this type have two canonic parts, accompanied by a relatively slow-moving untexted tenor. Occasionally all three parts are canonic; in no. 3 this is true of the ritornello. Obviously this last example raises questions about performance, suggesting either that - as is increasingly being thought these days - the tenor was sung throughout, or that the instrumentalist who might be playing the part initially would break into song for the last section - not such a bizarre option in a culture where singing was the dominant form of music-making.
Of the two composers featured here, Andrea de´ Servi seems totally obscure. Giovanni da Firenze was also known as Giovanni da Cascia, as he came from a village of that name near Florence: altogether sixteen madrigals of his have survived, as well as three caccie.
The Giovanni da Firenze pieces are printed here after Florence, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, MS Panciatichi 26; Dal traditor after Codex Palatino 87 of the same city´s Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (the so-called Squarcialupi Codex). The original note values have been quartered. Editorial accidentals are printed in the usual way above the stave, applying to the one note only.
These pieces require a brisk tempo to bring them to life. Performers unfamiliar with this repertoire will have to learn to tolerate a certain amount of incidental dissonances, which are, however, invariably resolved on to fifth chords that need to be as pure as driven snow. Instrumentalists should have no inhibitions about performing this music; with good articulation players of recorders or bowed or plucked instruments will be able to do it more than justice.