Et iste erat valde musicus: Pope Leo X, Composer

Cummings, Anthony M.; Gondko, M.

Et iste erat valde musicus: Pope Leo X, Composer

Abstract

Pope Leo X (reigned 1513–1521), Giovanni di Lorenzo il Magnifico de’ Medici, is known as one of
the great patrons of music in European history and himself a composer of some note. However, his
status as composer has not yet been fully or systematically considered. A new, hitherto unknown
reference to one of his (lost) compositions now prompts a thorough such consideration. Leo’s
known compositions are five in number: three polyphonic motets on Latin sacred texts; one setting
of a French secular text; and one instrumental canon. Although scarcely qualifying for inclusion
among the finest surviving compositions of the early Cinquecento, they are nonetheless creditable
compositions for a musical amateur. Such attainments would seem to demand some explanation as
to how Leo came by the compositional abilities required to produce such compositions. French
musicologist André Pirro had once suggested that Leo had to have studied with Heinrich Isaac,
easily the most distinguished composer of the Florence of Leo’s youth. Although there is no
substantiating evidence for Pirro’s claim, it is certainly the most plausible conjecture one could
make. The article reviews all the pertinent evidence documenting the close relationship that existed
between Isaac and the Medici family, which would have afforded an opportunity for Leo to study
with the composer. Leo’s works are in some of the same genres as one finds in Isaac’s
compositional output. The article also conjectures about another source of Leo’s passion for
polyphonic composition.
The implications of Leo’s fondness for polyphonic music are explored. He seems to have called for
a greatly expanded use of polyphony in the liturgical ceremonies of the Papal Chapel choir during
his pontificate, so much so that his traditionalist master of ceremonies objected. And several of the
composers in his employ composed polyphonic settings of texts that figured prominently in the
liturgy of Leo’s time. But although the enhancement of polyphonic practices in the sacred realm is
notable, even more important are the instances of polyphonic treatment of Italian secular texts.
There is a thesis that the Italian madrigal of the sixteenth century emerged in Medici circles, and
there is some evidence that Leo’s musical interests and patronage practices indeed may have been
responsible for the application of a polyphonic technique to secular texts of the type that figured in
the madrigal repertory. More specifically, an important composer of the transitional phase —
Michele Pesenti da Verona — appears to have undergone a creative transformation under Leo’s
influence. Pesenti’s earliest secular works, composed for the Este court, are in the frottola tradition:
A solo voice sings to the accompaniment of a consort of bowed string instruments or a lute. But
Pesenti’s employment conditions then change – he finds himself at Leo’s court – and toward the
end of his career as a composer, he composes polyphonic settings of madrigalian verse for an
ensemble of voices who sing fully-texted proto-madrigals.
The article concludes with the first complete-works edition of Leo’s compositional output. There is
a thorough inventory of the compositions, with information on the manuscript and printed sources,
folio numbers, and composer attributions; texts and translations of the vocal compositions; a
through accounting of the variant readings in the critical notes; and scholarly editions of the extant
compositions. From the introductory historical material and the musical editions, a picture emerges
of Leo’s profile as composer, the sources of his compositional abilities, and the importance for the
period musical culture of his dedication to contrapuntal practice.

Title	Et iste erat valde musicus: Pope Leo X, Composer
Creator	Cummings, Anthony M.
Creator	Gondko, M.
Publisher	Recercare
Academic Department	Music
Division	Humanities
Organization	Lafayette College
Date Issued	2017
Date Available	2020-01-10
Type	Article
Language	English
Bibliographic Citation	Cummings, A. M. and M. Gondko (2017) "Et iste erat valde musicus: Pope Leo X, Composer." Recercare 29 (1/2): 17-52
Standard Identifier	Handle 10385/qz20st119
Permalink	http://hdl.handle.net/10385/qz20st119
Rights Statement	In Copyright
Rights Holders	Fondazione Italiana per la Musica Antica (FIMA)