Obrecht's Missa Sicut spina rosam occupies an unusual place in the composer's output in that its cantus firmus is taken from the final portion of the respond from the Responsory Ad nutum Domini, rather than from the beginning of the chant. Also unusual is the very free treatment of the cantus firmus during the course of the mass, recalling procedures more closely associated with Ockeghem than with Obrecht. The attribution to Obrecht, however, is strengthened by the clear phrases, active rhythms, and carefully prepared cadences found throughout the mass. It seems, then, as if Obrecht was consciously alluding to Ockeghem's style, even quoting portions of his Missa Mi-Mi, though his reasons for doing so are uncertain. If one allows that Obrecht's mass was composed in the 1490s, then a likely motivation for composition was Ockeghem's death in 1497, making the Missa Sicut spina rosam one of several works written to commemorate the elder composer's death.

Works: Obrecht: Missa Sicut spina rosam (3-13).

Sources: Gregorian Chant: Ad nutum Domini (4); Ockeghem: Missa Mi-Mi (5).

Index Classifications: 1400s

Contributed by: Sherri Winks