Despite the debate between scholars, there is sufficient musical evidence to demonstrate conclusively that Isaac’s Missa Salva Nos predates his funeral motet Quis dabit capiti meo aquam. The mass draws its cantus firmus from the antiphon Salva nos, Domine, which consists of five phrase segments. Isaac exclusively uses the last of these segments for the Kyrie II, Cum Sancto (Gloria), and Osanna II (Sanctus). This same segment appears as a cantus firmus in his motet along with musical material from the other voices in these same sections of the mass. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that Isaac extracted the motet from the mass rather than used the motet as a model for the mass. This type of musical extraction is at work in other musical genres, such as tricinim that are drawn from “tenor tacet” sections of masses.

Works: Quis dabit capiti meo aquam (82-87), Missa Quant j’ay au cor (88); Anonymous: Bassadanza (89).

Sources: Anonymous: Salva nos, Domine (83-87); Isaac: Missa Salva nos (82-87), Missa Quant j’ay au cor (88), Missa La Spagna (89).

Index Classifications: 1400s

Contributed by: Daniel Rogers