Ronald Cross-Matthaeus Pipelare: a historic and 
stylistic study of his works 

Ann Arbor: University Microfilms (UM order no. 62-3317), 
1961. (307 and 160 pp., New York University diss.) 

Keith E. Mixter 

This dissertation is the first major study of this highly imaginative and 
skillful composer of the turn of the 15th century. Dr. Cross has let Pipelare's 
works determine the course of the dissertation, since he feels that the problems 
are often related to specific compositions. Pipelare composed in nearly every 
musical genre of his time. Outstanding exceptions are the Passion and the 
frottola. 

In Chapter I the biographical details are presented. Mter discussing the 
references to Pipelare to be found in theoretical works, Dr. Cross proceeds to 
refute the thesis, first advanced by Maldeghem, that Pipelare was born in 
Louvain. Pipelare's sojourn at's Hertogenbosch is well documented, and the 
author draws all inferences from this that can justifiably be drawn. Evidence 
found in a Jena manuscript (Chorbuch 2 of the UniversitatsbibIiothek) leads 
to the conclusion that the composer had died by the year 1512. 

Chapter II is devoted to an examination of the concordances to Pipelare's 
compositions. As "sources" Dr. Cross has listed manuscripts, early prints, and 
modern prints. In Chapter III, which concerns the chanson compositions, 
the author roams rather far afield chronologically, but this often results in a 
very informative capsule study of a text motif. 

The shortest chapter of the dissertation is the fourth. It is devoted to the 
composer's motets, one of which, Hie est vere marryr, survives only in a key-
board arrangement by FridoIin Sicher. The longest chapter by far is that 
which examines Pipelare's Mass compositions. These compositions, which 
tend to confirm the very close association with the Lowlands suggested by 
Pipelare's chansons, show a highly imaginative manipulation of preexistent 
material. In the Missa Dicit Dominus: Nihil tuleritis in via this manipulation 
leads to a structural unification of the Mass sections. In the later works 
(particularly the Missa Mi Mi) one finds much use of a "saturation" 

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: . 

technique, in which the writing is permeated with the preexistent material. 
The sixth and final chapter is a recapitulatory one entitled "Summary of 

technical and stylistic details." Following the bibliography a musical 
supplement presents eight of the twenty-seven surviving compositions (four 
have been lost) in a modern edition. This edition follows modern transcription 
procedures. Dr. Cross uses a 2-1 reduction in the note values, and bars 
between the staves according to the so-called "Mensurstrich" principle. The 
supplement includes two chansons, two motets, a Credo, and three of the 
surviving nine Masses. 

Great weight is given in this dissertation to Pipelare's manipulation of 
preexistent material, so that one finds this problem being covered in discus-
sions of individual compositions, in the section on "Preexistent material," in 
the section on "Technical procedures involving preexistent material," and 
in the section on "Integration and saturation." While this element is 
obviously very important, the reviewer feels that the discussion might have 
been somewhat curtailed in favor of other stylistic elements. Dissonance 
practice, for example" receives very cursory treatment. Despite this, the 
author considers dissonance an important factor in determining the chro-
nology of Pipelare's works. 

Too often we find an emphasis on unusual practices in Pipelare's music. 
These, except by implication, do not tell us general characteristics of his 
style. On the other hand, when we are told about three "ubiquitous" elements 
of his style, we are given but one musical example of only one of these 
elements, with no references to further occurrences. (Knud Jeppesen's The 
style oj Palestrina and the dissonance still serves as a model of documentation in 
this regard.) 

Mensuration and rhythm receive rather extensive treatment. Here, how-
ever, one meets with an unfortunate inconsistency in point of reference, as, 
for example, in the discussion of canon, where semibreves, measures, and 
quarter rests are referred to on the same page. A priori assertions which 
remain unexplained do not guide the reader well, a case in point being the 
assumption of "composition alta minima" (i.e., the minim equaling the tactus 
in 02 mensuration) in section III ("Et resurrexit") of the St. John Credo. The 
author has quite correctly given, as an advantage of the "Mensurstrich" 
principle of barring, the possibility of indicating a conflicting mensuration by 
bar lines within the staff. Unfortunately this device of alternate (dotted) 
barring has been applied to instances of hemiola rhythms, rather than to 
really conflicting mensurations (which abound in Renaissance music). Since 
hemiola rhythms can be very adequately expressed in "Mensurstrich" 
barring without the use of supplementary alternate barring, it would seem 
useful to limit the use of the latter to genuine conflicting mensurations (such 
as G against ¢) and not to apply it to temporary shifts in rhythm. 

Too often critical points are not illustrated by examples, or even by 
reference to the supplement. In the discussion of the chanson, Morken ic hebe 
ter scolen ghelegen, the piece is described and then compared to a piece by 

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J osquin Baston, four measures of which are quoted. How nice it would have 
been to have a pertinent passage of the Pipelare piece superimposed! In the 
discussion of the four-part Segovia Agnus, a critical point is made of the 
concluding device, which the author says is common to all the other move-
ments. Unfortunately this is not provided in an example. 

In certain parts of the dissertation questionable technical terminology 
seems to stand in the way of the lucid transmittal of information. In a discus-
sion of imitation, the author states that Pipelare does not employ a great deal 
of imitation. In the following paragraph, however, we learn that certain 
types of imitation are "very characteristic of his style." These are "internal 
imitation" and "concluding imitation." A little later, we see that a section 
labeled "Phrase formation" really deals with the problem of melodic 
contour. 

The musical supplement seems well and carefully done. One objection to 
procedure may be raised, however. Although the editor has set up a very 
workable critical apparatus, he insists on supplementing it by cumbersome 
and disturbing footnoting. 

Abbreviations such as S ("Superius"), MS ("manuscript," as an adjective), 
and pro ("printed") disturb a text which otherwise has a good literary flow. 
In the matter of translations, the author supplies the original of easily 
accessible works (such as Van den Borren's La Musique en Belgique or Fetis' 
Biographie universelle), but neglects to do the same for less accessible publica-
tions (such as Gerber's Neues historisch-biographisches Lexikon der Tonkiinstler, not 
yet reprinted at the time this dissertation was written). Mter the number of 
translations from Latin and modern French and German, the reader is 
disappointed to find only the original of two Renaissance French texts (Fors 
seulement and Vray dieu), although the texts have much bearing on the music. 

Finally, the style of the author leaves something to be desired in the matter 
of footnoting and bibliography. Under "Early prints" the Liederbuch des 
Arnt von Aich is not dated (RISM [1519)5), and, in general, references to the 
Repertoire international des sources musicales would have been very helpful 
(assuming that the volume Recueils imprimes, XV!cXVIIe siecles, published in 
1960, was available for Dr. Cross's dissertation, dated Dec. 1961). The 
bibliography contains very few music listings, although the author has 
demonstrated in numerous footnotes that he has consulted such works. The 
author has consistently omitted place of publication (as well as publisher) 
in all book references, although scholars and librarians are often in need of 
such information in locating rare materials. 

Dr. Cross is to be credited with several discoveries or fresh insights which 
contribute greatly to our knowledge of this area. Among these are the addi-
tion of three further manuscripts to Du Saar's list of sources for Een vrolic wesen, 
the identification of Liber 3 of the inventory of the Fugger music library as 
MS 34 of the Bayerische StaatsbibIiothek in Munich, the disclosure of the 
unification of a Mass by the utilization of similar ending material, and the 
detection of Pipelare's use of the Agnus Dei of a Mass to sum up the musical 

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ideas which have been presented in whole work. In general, the remarks 
on the organization of the polyphonic Mass are well taken. 

This dissertation is a fine and penetrating study of a significant Renaissance 
composer. It is a pleasure for the reviewer to point to two further fruits of Dr. 
Cross's research: his article, "The life and works of Matthaeus Pipelare," 
Musica Disciplina, XV: 97-114 (1963), which presents the biographical details 
and a list of works by genre, and his edition of the Opera Omnia of Pipelare 
(Rome: American Institute of Musicology, 1966-67, 3vols.). 

Ursula Kirkendale-Antonio Caldara: sein Leben und seine 
venezianisch-romischen Oratorien 

Graz-Cologne: Hermann Bohlaus Nachfolger, 1966. (406 pp., University 
of Bonn diss.) 

Hermine Weigel Williams 

This dissertation, presented in 1961 to the faculty of philosophy at the 
University of Bonn for the doctoral degree, now has been published as 
Volume 6 of the series, Wiener Musikwissenschqftliche Beitrage. In the published 
version, the biographical portion has been greatly expanded to include 
additional material, especially information contained in documents from 
Rome. 

Antonio Caldara (1670-1736), a composer primarily of vocal music, 
served the Imperial Court in Vienna during the reign of the Hapsburg 
Emperor Charles VI. His appointment to the coveted position of Vice-
Kapellmeister in 1716 brought him into a circle of COmposers that included 
Johann Joseph Fux and Francesco Conti, and it is upon the basis of his 
musical accomplishments at this court that his reputation .rests. , 

Until the publication of this work, little was paid to Caldara's 
musical career before 1716. In Part I, which deals with the life of Caldara, 
Dr. Kirkendale not only greatly expands our knowledge of his early life but 
corrects many errors of fact that appear in the article, "Caldara," in Die 
Musil; in Gescliichte und Gegenwart. 

The biographical narrative begins with confirmation of the fact that 
Caldara, son of the violinist, Giuseppe Caldara, was indeed from Venice, for 
it was at San Marco that he began his musical career as one oftheboy singers 
for the ducal chapel. What talent he possessed as a singer must have soon 
been overshadowed by his instrumental skill, because by 1689 he was referred 
to as a virtuoso cellist. With whom he studied (Kirkendale suggests Domenico 
Gabrielli, the famous cellist), and whether or not he was ever a regular 
member of an orchestra for a theater or a church is not known. In fact, up to 
the end of the seventeenth century, Caldara held no influential position as 
either a performer or composer. 

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