Output details
35 - Music, Drama, Dance and Performing Arts
Birmingham City University
'Josquin’s Teaching: Ignored and Lost Sources'
This essay aims to recover what is known about the teaching activity of Josquin des Prez (c.1450–1521), arguably the most important composer of his time. The evidence for the former existence of a written treatise by Josquin is considered, followed by a consideration of the evidence for an oral tradition of his teaching methods and the content of his teaching. The relation between written and unwritten practices in teaching musical performance and composition are discussed. It is proposed to rehabilitate the reputation for reliability of the testimony of Adrianus Petit Coclico, self-styled pupil of Josquin’s, whose veracity has been suspect since 1940. Finally, the importance of the fact that Josquin taught not merely music but composing is highlighted and his attitude towards the status of his music as substantial items of intellectual property is discussed. It is concluded that his attitude towards his work was essentially modern.
The article appeared in a Festschrift in honour of Bonnie J. Blackburn, a member of the advisory panel of the AHRC project ‘The Complete Theoretical Works of Johannes Tinctoris: A New Digital Edition’. The Festschrift comprises 66 articles, which were consequently subject to stringent length restrictions.
