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Musae Jovis ter maximi Proles, canora plangite, Comas cypressus comprimat: Josquinus ille occidit, Templorum decus Et vestrum decus. Saevera mors et improba, Quae templa dulcibus sonis Privat, et aulas principum, Malum tibi quod imprecer Tollenti bonos, Parcenti malis. Apollo sed neccem tibi Minatur, heus, mors pessima: Musas hortatur addere [Instructus arcu et spiculis (Musasque ut addent commonet)]1 Et laurum comis Et aurum comis. Josquinus (inquit) optimo Et maximo gratus Jovi, Triumphat inter caelites Et dulce carmen concinit, Templorum decus, Musarum decus. Tenor: Circumdederunt me gemitus mortis Dolores inferni circumdederunt me.
B. Appenzeller sets stanzas 1-2
Note: this text is a memorial to Josquin des Prez
1 omitted by Gombert.
Text Authorship:
- by Jean Geerhart , as Gérard Avidius [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Benedict (or Benedictus) Appenzeller (1480/8 - 1558+), "Musae Jovis", stanzas 1-2 [chorus] [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Nicolas Gombert (c1495 - c1560), "Musae Jovis " [ chorus], motet [ sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (David Wyatt) , "Muses of Jupiter", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-05-13
Line count: 28
Word count: 91
Muses, offspring of thrice-greatest Jupiter, Wail in song, Let the cypress pull together its foliage: Josquin himself is dead, The ornament of churches And your own ornament. O harsh and wicked death, Who deprives the churches of their sweet sounds And the courts of princes too, The evil which I will invoke on you Is for taking away the good, And sparing the bad. But Apollo threatens you With being killed, o most terrible death: And he is encouraging the Muses to join in; He is skilful with bow and arrows (and he emphasises that the Muses should join in) And has laurel in his hair And gold in his hair. Josquin, welcome to Jupiter greatest And best1, speaks And makes his triumphal entry among heaven's dwellers, And sings a sweet song, The ornament of churches, the ornament of the Muses. Tenor: The groans of death surrounded me, Hell's agonies surrounded me.
1 "Jupiter greatest and best", standard Roman epithet for the king of the gods.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Latin to English copyright © 2012 by David Wyatt, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in Latin by Jean Geerhart , as Gérard Avidius
This text was added to the website: 2012-10-26
Line count: 28
Word count: 154
