The Agnus Dei in the Cambrai m.s. Communale 1328 served as the model for the Sanctus of the Sorbonne Mass and the Sanctus of the Ivrea Mass. A close analysis of their musical relationships, including a comparison of their formal design, texture, motivic treatment and direct musical correspondences, reveals the exact order of their composition. Superior formal coherence and clarity of design suggest the Cambrai was the model that was later expanded by the composer of the Ivrea with frequent interpolations and condensed by the composer of the Sorbonne, who omits large blocks of material. Professor Schrade's (1955) contention that there is a relationship between the Gloria of the Sorbonne Mass and the Credo of the Ivrea is somewhat tenuous; however, such a relationship does exist between a Sanctus from the Apt Manuscript and a Kyrie and Patrem from the Ivrea Manuscript. Based on a comparison of the shared musical material, formal structure, and melodic complexity, one can conclude that the Patrem was either the original upon which the other two were based or it was the link between them. These two examples prove that the parody technique existed in the fourteenth century. These movements should not be considered a precursor to parody, but rather as a separate technique.

Index Classifications: 1300s

Contributed by: Dana Gorzelany-Mostak