Missa “Es hat ein sun (or sin)” – Mathieu Gascongne

Unfortunately very little is known about Gascongne’s life. He worked at the French court of François 1,

around 1517, where he sang in the Chapel Royal.

This mass by him is based on a non-extant song „Es hat ein sin“ (or sun), in one manuscript called „Missa

Satenzin“. Without the model it is of course impossible to see precisely how he used the existing material,

but some motifs that keep popping up are obviously taken from the song. The two most obvious ones are:

1.

This probably was the opening melody of the song. It is always used at the beginning of a movement,

sometimes in imitation. In the Kyrie it is heard only once: after two bars rest the tenor enters with it.

2.

This melody ends al the movements in the tenor part. In some sections it is the only melody the tenor sings.

This is the case in Kyrie 2 and in the Osanna.

Sometimes it is also sung by the bass (in Kyrie and Credo) or alto (in the Gloria).

The transcription is mainly based on Musica Ms. F (MunBS F) from the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in

Munich, which most likely dates from around 1520:

https://daten.digitalesammlungen.de/0007/bsb00079142/images/index.html?fip=193.174.98.30&seite=34&p

dfseitex=

In search of two missing beats in the alto part in bar 15-16 of the Gloria, I also checked MS Cappella Sistina

19, ff. 25v – 42r:

https://digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Capp.Sist.19

The music

• On the whole, I think this is a very lovely mass, with lots of inventive writing. The first Kyrie I

found quite striking, in that it focuses very much on sonority, rather than counterpoint.

• Also quite striking: two hidden parallel fifths, first between soprano and alto in bar 91 of the

Benedictus, and a little later in bar 105 between tenor and bass. Both in a two-part texture, so quite

noticeable. The voices move up from a sixth (b-g) to a fifth (e-b), so the top-part also leaps, which is

frowned upon by the theorists. Composers seem to have agreed with them, judging by the fact that

you don’t find many cases like this. Generally speaking Gascongne also adhered to this ‘rule’

(although there is at least one more in this mass, in a 3-part texture). Apparently in this case he found

it acceptable.

• Both Agnus Dei’s have many descending lines, until you get to “Dona nobis pacem”, where a little

upward rolling motif in soprano, alto and bass generates a happier mood, leading to a satisfying final

cadence.

Text placement

In the Gloria and Credo I basically followed the manuscript, although the exact placement of syllables is

often unclear, so I made choices that sounded sensible to me. I also did my best to have the text placement

follow the musical structure, e.g. in points of imitation. In the Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei the text

placement wasn’t very helpful, so I made my own choices.

Accidentals

There are no accidentals in the manuscript., so all accidentals are mine, placed above the notes. They fall in

three categories: leading notes at cadences, major final chords (at ‘Christe’ in the Gloria and ‘Sabaoth’ and

‘Domini’ in the Sanctus-Benedictus) and some b-flats which seemed rather inevitable to me.

Bert Schreuder

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7

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14

MathieuGascongne-MissaEshateinsun-Sanctus

14

8

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3

29

24

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2

47

53

41

35

59

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sanOa.turi aglo

ari

turi a

glo

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a,

a,tuarigloa,

tuari

tu

glo

rateretli

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tua

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ri

glo

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a,

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tuari

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a, glo

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plera,ter

licaesuntni

etli

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3

72

66

B

B

T2

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M

M

osis,celexin

sis,

nasano

celexinna

sis,celexinnasano

sis,celexinnasan

exinnasanosis,celexinnasanosis,

celexinnasanona,san

celexinnasano

sis,celexinna,san

4

91

84

78

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B

B

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M

M

M

dicneBe

sis.

ex celinnasanona,sanona,san

sis.

celexinnasano

dicne

dicnebetus,

betus,

dicneBesis.

celexinnasanosis,celexinsis,cel

dicnebe

dicne

tus,dicnebetus,

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celexinnasanosis,celexinsis,

5

114

108

102

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M

M

M

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nit

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ve

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nit

ni,mi

ve

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ve

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ve

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6

132

125

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M

nasano

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ni.

miDoneminoinnitve

7

143

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sis.ex celinnasan

ona,sanosis,

osan na,

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sis.celexinnasan

osis,ex cel

sis.celexinsan naosis,ex cel

insis,celin exsan naosis,

sis.celexinnasano

sis,celexsis, incelex

8

MathieuGascongne-MissaEshateinsun-AgnusDei

15

9

B

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B

T2

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M

M

Mez

di,muntacapec

i

listolqui

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i,DegnusAi,DegnusA

di,muntaca

tolquii,Degnus

peclis

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muntacapecdi,

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muntacapec

Ai,De

gnusAi,DegnusA

di,

qui

munta

i,

capeclistol

De

gnusA

31

25

20

B

B

B

T2

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M

M

M

mibis,no

bis,noreresemibis,

reresemi

norerese

mibis,noreresemi

semibis,no

bis,no

reresemi

bis,noreresemi

bis,noreresemi

reresemibis,

reresemi

no

bis,

noreresemidi,

bis,

noreresemi

norese remi

2

47

42

36

B

B

B

T2

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T1

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M

M

M

muntaca

tol

peclis,

quii,Degnus

Abis.norerese

muntacapec

tolqui

lis

i,DegnusAi,

DegnusAbis.re nore

di,mun

tol

tacalis pec

quii,

DegnusAbis.no

ta mun

qui

capeclis

i,

tol

DegnusAbis.

3

63

58

53

B

B

B

T2

T2

T2

T1

T1

T1

M

M

M

bisnonadocem,

nonadodi,mun

pabis

tacapecdi,mun

tacapecdi,muntacapecdi,

docem,

nonadodi,

pabis

muntacapec

di,muntacapecdi,

nacem, do

nadodi,

pano bis

mundi,

muncapec tadi,munca tapec

pano bis

nona

nado

do

cem,pabis

di,

muntacapecdi,

4

68

B

T2

T1

M

cem.pabisna nodopa cem,

cem.pabisnona

cem.pabisna nodocem,pabisno

cem.pabisnonacem, do

5