♫ Si bona suscepimus
© CPO 999 723-2

This Si bona suscepimus is an old Responsorium set in plainchant. There are about 138 Responsoria de Officium Defunctorum, Responds from Office of the Dead known and used during centuries in the Office of the Dead. They are all well ordered, this is number 87. One of the two corresponding Versicle from the Office of the Dead “ Nudus egressus” number 156 is even used by Jacobus Clement (1515-1556), Gombert (c.1495-c.1557), Phillip Verdelot ( 1480/85 – 1530/32), Lassus (1532-1594), Lechner (1553-1606) and Thomas Selle (1599-1663) did. But on the other hand Hans Leo Hassler and Claudin de Sermisy (1490-1562) used only the Respond version without the Versicle-part so did Constanzo Porta (1529-1601) as we will see. It is known the use of Responds and Versicles of The Office of the Dead vary per region all over Europe.
This particularly Respond ‘Si bona suscepimus’ is used and found in the series of Deventer Holland and preserved in the University of Amsterdam. Next to it the more general type (Respond-Type 25) to which this Respond ‘Si bona suscepimus’ belongs is spread in the area under the Ottonian and Salian emperors the counties of Lower Lorraine, of Flanders, Champgane and the northern part of Holland. The principal source is found before 1318 in Aachen, executed in Aix-la-Chapelle as we see in Knud Ottosen excellent book. In general the text is coming out of the Book Job. The choice of texts and the order in which they occur in the sources all around Europe vary according to local uses. This text setting is found in Deventer in a source out of 1516 and this Respond is sung at the end of the third nocturne. This long setting of this Respond - consisting out of 92 bars - is written by Hassler for 2 Choirs ATTT and TTBB. Hassler starts with Choir II and so on in alternation. Hassler wrote this Respond in a splendid emotional polychoral more lively Venetian style he was familiar with. From bar 34 we see the first highlight in this composition underlining the famous text ‘Dominus dedit, dominus abstulit’. The mentioned phrases will be repeated twice in a homophonic but imposing style with the two choirs together. This imposing homophonic phrase (bars 34-43) will be immediate followed by an interesting fluent 3/2 measure ‘Sicut Dominus placuit’ set in the two separate choirs answering each other. Perhaps this part is set in a sense to please the Dominus. The answer ‘ita factum est’ is set in Ȼ measure, immediately followed again with a 3/2 measure (bars 43-55). This very interesting total phrase will be fully repeated by the two choirs in an identical musical texture (bars 67-78). Between these two phrases Hassler starts with the musical elaboration of the ‘Sit nomen Domini benedictum’ which in the last part ends in a full E-major. In this long motet we see the merger of the marvellous ‘old’ Renaissance music fashion by for instance Lassus with new music especially the four part chorus style out of Venice. Even in the Requiem music a splendid combination.
In the Promptuarii musici, sacras harmonias sive motetas V. VI. VII. & VIII vocum, e diversis...autoribus, antehac nunquam in Germania editis... . Collectore Abrahamo Schadaeo...Cui basin vulgo generalem dictam & ad organa, musicaque instrumenta accomodatam, singulari industria addidit Caspar Vincentus... (Argentinæ : Typis Caroli Kiefferi, Sumptibus Pauli Ledertz, 1611, 1612, 1613) we found more polychoral Requiem settings from different composers and that’s for us the first time to meet this great polychoral style in the Respond-settings. The editor of these volumes the Sorb Abraham Skoda (Schadäus 1556-1626) was a Lusatian composer and editor in the Bautzen deaconate. (Lusatia is today's Poland, parts of Czech Republic and parts of Slovakia.) Schadäus and Vincentius organized these volumes according to the liturgical year, but not exclusively for either Catholic or Lutheran contexts. In those anthologies we will see another Respond-pieces by often unknown composers but practising the ‘coro spezatti’ style. It is remarkable that in this edition polychoral Respond settings are available. Perhaps in this region they must have had good wind players and other musicians? This Respond ‘Si bona suscepimus’ setting is published in the already mentioned Promptuarii musici, sacras harmonias sive motetas V. VI. VII. & VIII vocum, in 1611.

Hans Leo Hassler composed two version of this Respond Si bona suscepimus one for eight voices and this setting for six voices. This sixth part version seems in an essential part a pared down version of the eight-part setting, but not in all measures.
This Si bona suscepimus is an old Responsorium. There are about 138 Responsoria de Officium Defunctorum Responds from Office of the Dead known and used during centuries in the Office of the Dead. They are all well-ordered, this is number 87. One of the two corresponding Versicle from the Office of the Dead “ Nudus egressus” number 156 is used among others by Jacobus Clement (1515-1556), Gombert (c.1495-c.1557), Jacquet de Mantua (1483-1559), Lassus (1532-1594), Lechner (1553-1606), Ivo de Vento (c.1544-1575), Giovanni Mateo Asola (1528-1609), Gioseffo Zarlino (c.1517-1590), Thomas Verdelot (c.1475-1552) and Thomas Selle (1599-1663). The other belonging Versicle is number 307 “Gloria Patri”. On the other hand Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612) and Claudin de Sermisy (1490-1562) used only the Respond version without the Versicle-part so did Constanzo Porta (1529-1601) as we will see. Another third version is seen with the Versicle “In omnibus” Job Chapter 1, Vers 22 and is even produced in very old sources. And finally there is a fourth version with the Versicle “Testa saniem radebat Job.” It is known the use of Responds and Versicles of The Office of the Dead vary per region all over Europe.
This particularly Respond is used and found in the series of Deventer Holland and preserved in the University of Amsterdam. And the more general type (Respond-Type 25) to which this Respond belongs is spread in the area under the Ottonian and Salian emperors the counties of Lower Lorraine, of Flanders, Champagne and the northern part of Holland. In general the text is coming out of the Book Job, chapter 1 verse 21 and chapter 2 verse 10. The choice of texts especially the use of the Versicle and the order in which they occur in the sources all around Europe vary according to local uses. This text setting is found in Deventer in a source out of 1516 and this Respond is sung at the end of the third nocturne.
This long setting of this Respond - consisting out of 82 bars - is written by Hassler for six voices (CCATTB). Of course Hassler tries to imitate his polychoral eight part version. Hassler wrote this Respond in a splendid emotional more lively Venetian style he was familiar with. From measure 29 (Ms 29-41) we see the first highlight in this composition underlining the famous text “Dominus dedit, dominus abstulit, sicut Domino placuit / The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away, as it has pleased the Lord.” The mentioned phrases are set in a homophonic but imposing style with the six voices together and will be shortly repeated in the measures 41-71, in that case in a polychoral imitation. Between these two phrases Hassler sets the musical elaboration in imitative counterpoint with the “Sit nomen Domini benedictum / blessed be the Lord.” which in the last part (Ms 82) ends in a full E-major (E-Phrygian). This setting is published in Reliquiae sacrorum concentuum Giovan Gabrielis, Iohan-Leonis Hasleri, utriusq[ue] praestantissimi musici (Nuremberg: Paul Kauffmann MDCXV), 1615.