Giovanni Mateo Asola sets this very large Office of the Dead, Officium Defunctorum for CATB in around 1588. This Office is without any doubt set by Asola for use in the Service. We only examined the large part-books CATB (each folio 53) of this Officium Defunctorum copied and produced not by one but by several editors in 1588 (parts CA), in 1593 (part B), in 1603 (part T) and in 1621 (parts CT).
OFFICIUM DEFUNCTORUM at the time of the 15th and 16th century, music for the Dead and the Requiem office we mean the Officium Defunctorum began to set polyphonically in the late fifteenth century. Iberian composers have adopted that practises we mention Juan Vásquez (c.1510-1560) with his Agenda Defunctorum (1556) and Cristobal de Morales (c.1500-1553) with his Officium Defunctorum, Ginés Pérez (1590), Tomás Luis da Victoria with his Officium Defunctorum (1605). But others from other countries too as we mention the first Italian Giovanni Mateo Asola (c.1528-1609) with his Officium Defunctorum (1586/1588), Domenico Belli (1616), Felipe Magalhaes (1614), Giacomo Moro (1599) and we do not forget the Sacrae Lectiones (1560) and Lectiones Sacrae (c.1580) for the Dead set by the Netherlandish Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594). It’s imposing music with real mysticism. The same applies for this large Office of the dead by Asola.
We couldn’t examine a source with some music out of an Officium Defunctorum by Asola printed in 1586 by Giacomo Vincenti & Ricciardo Amadino. That source was unfortunately not available. It could be this edition of the Office of the Dead may be set by Asola some years earlier. Asola sets this Office of the Dead in a polyphonic more homophonic way, which is normal for the use in the Service. You can find most of the text of this motets in the Liber Usualis (edition 1936) Officium Defunctorum. This piece by Asola is a real Office of the Dead with a wide scale of imposing polyphonic mysticism settings.
This Officium Defunctorum by Asola consists out of the following movements.
01. Ad Vesperas
02. Dilexi quoniam psalmus 114.
03. Ad Dominum cum tribularer psalmus 119.
04. Levavi oculos meos psalmus 120.
05. De profundis psalmus 129.
06. Confitebor tibi Domine psalmus 137.
07. Magnificat septimi toni
08. Lauda anima mea Dominum
09. Ad Matutinum, Invitatorium
10. Regem cui
11. Circumdederunt me, gemitus mortis
12. Venite exultemus
* In primo nocturno
13. Verba mea auribus percipe Domine, intellege clamorem meum psalmus 5
14. Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me, neque in ira tua. miserere mei Domine psalmus 6
15. Domine Deus meus in te speravi psalmus 7
16. Lectio I. – Parce mihi Domine, nihil enim sunt dies mei
17. Lectio II . – Taedet animam meam, vitae meae
18. Lectio III. – Manus tuae fecerunt me, et plasmaverunt me totum in circuitu
19. Responsorium I. – Credo quod redemptor meus vivit, et in novissimo die
20. Responsorium II. – Qui Lazarum, resuscitasti
21. Responsorium III. – Domine quando veneris, judicare terram
22. Responsorium - Libera me, Domine de morte aeterna
23. Responsorium - Subvenite sancti Dei, occurrite angeli Domini
24. Kyrie, Christe, Kyrie
Canticum Zachariae, Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel
Litaniae
* Ad Missam
25. Requiem - Requiem aeternam
26. Sequentia - Dies Irae
27. Offertorium - Domine Jesu Christe
28. Hostias et preces
29. Sanctus - Sanctus, hosanna
30. Benedictus - Benedictus, hosanna
31. Motetto Adoramus te Jesu Christe
32. Agnus Dei - Agnus Dei I, II, III
33. Communio - Lux Aeterna
As we saw Asola sets the total Ad Vesperas, the evening songs (Liber Usualis p. 1772 -1776, edition 1936). Furthermore Asola sets only some select movements out of the Ad Matutinum, out of the Primo Nocturne and out of the closing of the officium defunctorum, the Laudes. So we have to search through the Liber Usualis. All the plainchant phrases/incipits will be sung by the Tenor, which is normal.
The responsoria Libera me, Domine de morte aeterna and Subvenite sancti Dei, occurrite angeli Domini are part of the Funeral service ‘In exsequiis’ page 1767 and 1765. The Kyrië is part of it followed by In paradisum and the Canticum Zachariae. The Litaniae of all saints is a special closing Antiphon which was prayed at the moment of receiving the last sacraments or at the In exsequiis. In the Burnet psalter (c. 1400-1450) we see in folio 242 to folio 244 a very old Litany/Litaniae.
The lectio primum will be closed with “Beati mortui qui in Domo morientur,” Blessed are the dead who die in the grace of Lord. That’s not the normal closing of this Lecture.
After the Litaniae, Asola starts with the Missa pro defunctis. The Gradual and Tractus will be sung in plainchant.
Remarkable to see, Asola sets in this Officium a “Circumdederunt me, gemitus mortis”. The plainchant Circumdederunt is often especially used by Spanish composers in the Office of the Dead like de Morales( c.1500-1553), de Vivanco (c.1550-1622), Pedro Fernandez (1483-1574), Aires Fernandez (16th C.) and even Orlando di Lasso ( 1532-1594) did. As we saw it is set by them as an invitatory Antiphon (Invitatorium) for the Office of the Dead. So did here Giovanni Asola in the movement Ad Matutinum, Invitatorium. See the index above. For this purpose we made a transcription, in this case this Circumdederunt is a very short (Ms 15) Antiphon in a homophonic setting with some dissonant, flats and small movements in the Altus-part and is set in F.
Another interesting item is the by Asola added motet “Adoramus the Christe” sung between the Benedictus and Agnus Dei.
This motet is normally sung as an Antiphon in the Good Friday Liturgy, but here really set by Asola in all the part-books. This Antiphon has a long and venerable history as a prayer in and of itself. So Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604) recommended the uses of the Adoramus te Christe (in Liber Responsalis, PL 78, 805). This motet consists out of 38 measures. “Adoramus te Christe” is set in a homophonic way, in a low austere texture in using lots of flats, sharps and chord-changes, culminating in E-Phrygian.
The text and translation of this motet follows here:
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi,
quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
Domine, Domine, miserere nobis.
We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee,
because by thy holy cross, thou hast redeemed the world.
Lord, Lord have mercy with us.
This Office of the Dead is found only in part-books – and even not in a complete setting – and is collected together in the following four sources.
Officium Defunctorum, quatuor vocibus, Per R. D Jo. Matthaeum Asulam Veronensem editum. - Venetiis, Apud Jacobum Vincentium. 1588. - in 8°. Canto e Alto {mancante della prima e ultima carta}. (Senza dedicatoria).
Officium Defunctorum Addito Cantico Zachariae. Quatuor vocibus. Per R. D. Jo: Matthaeum Asulam Veron. editum. - Venetiis Apud Riciardum Amadinum, 1593. - in 8°. Bassus. (Senza dedicatoria).
Officium Defunctorum |Addito Cantico Zachariae|Quator Vocibus| Per R.D. Io: Matthaeum Asulam Veron. | qeditum. [decoration] Venetijs apud Ricciardum Amadinum | MDCIII| Tenor.
Officium Psalmi et Missa Defunctorum addito Cantico Zachariae. Quatuor vocibus. Per R. D. Jo. Matthaeum Asulam Veronen. aeditum. - Venetiis 1621. Apud Bartholomeum Magni. - in 8°. Cantus et Tenor. (Senza dedicatoria).