Editions

1. Werken van Josquin des Prés, hg. von Albert Smijers

In 1919, around 100 years ago and in view of the approaching 400th anniversary of his death, the Vereeniging voor Nederlandsche Muziekgeschiedenis (“Association for Dutch Music History”) commissioned the musicologist Albert Sjmijers (1888-1957) to publish the first complete edition of all the works of Josquin Desprez. With a great deal of financial support from the Dutch state, Albert Smijers set about exploring the sources over the next two years. He collected a total of 5,000 photographs of Josquin sources from European libraries and archives. On this basis, starting in 1922, i.e. one year late, he published the works in individual fascicles, which were later to be bound together into volumes.

The publication of the works in individual deliveries and the different Dutch designations have meant that the logic of the complete edition – depending on the type of binding in the individual libraries – is not easily accessible. Especially in the libraries that have bound the volumes chronologically, an incomprehensible mix of genres can be found per volume. Searching for an individual work without more precise information can thus become very tedious. After Smijer’s death in 1957, his student Myroslaw Antonowycz took over the task of completing the edition. He was later assisted by Willem Elders. This monumental undertaking was completed in 1969 with volumes 1 and 55.

The following specifications are to be distinguished:

Deel (“Part”): The complete edition is sorted by genre. Masses (Deel I to IV), Motets (Deel I to V), Secular Works (Deel I to II) and Miscellaneous.

Bundel (“bundle, fascicle”). Within the individual parts, the works are grouped into fascicles. The works themselves are numbered.

Avleveringen (“Deliveries”): Smijers published Josquin’s works in a total of 55 deliveries. The first volume of “Klaagliederen” was published in 1922; the complete edition was completed in 1969 with a volume of “Supplement & Index”.

In his monograph (Fallows 2009, p. 467), David Fallows has provided a practical overview of how the works should best be bound and has also given suggestions for labelling the volumes. It is also easy to see how Smijers has structured the works according to genres and used the sources as a further criterion for classification within the genres:

No.TitleAfleveringenYear
1Missen I: 1-5 (Petrucci 1502)10-141926-31
2Missen II: 6-11 (Petrucci 1505)15, 17, 19-20, 22-231933-50
3Missen III: 12-17 (Petrucci 1514)26-321950-52
4Missen IV: 18-20 & Fragmenta33-34, 43-44, 501952-53
5Motetten I: 1-29 (B1-5: Petrucci 1502-8)2, 4, 6-7, 91923-26
6Motetten II: 30-44 (B6-10: Petrucci 1514-19)16, 18, 21, 24-251936-50
7Motetten III: 45-61 (B11-15: Deutsche Drucke)35-391954
8Motetten IV: 62-70 (B16-18: Deutsche Drucke)40-421955
9Motetten V: 71-96 (B19-25: Verschiedene)45-49, 51-521957-64
10Wereldlijke Werken I: 1-34 (Französische Drucke)3, 5, 81923-25
11Wereldlijke Werken II: 35-65 (Italienische Drucke & MSS)53-541965-68
12Klaagliederen; Supplement & Index1, 551922, 1969

2. New Josquin Edition (NJE), hg. von Willem Elders

Willem Elders, a student of Albert Smijers, has been working with an international editorial board on a new edition of Josquin’s works since the early 1970s. Shortly before the publication of the first volume in 1987, he justified the necessity of the New Josquin Edition (NJE) as follows during an opening speech at a Josquin congress in Cologne in 1984:

  1. The discovery of unknown sources with works by Josquin.
  2. dealing with the questions of authenticity of numerous works
  3. the analysis of the (new) source situation and an assessment on which source to base the edition
  4. the transcription of the scores
  5. the ordering of the works

In fact, since the completion of the first complete edition, the number of known manuscripts had more than doubled from 182 to 374. Close collaboration with the University of Illinois at Urbana, which had built up the largest microfilm archive of Renaissance music, had provided the basis for this, along with the preliminary work of Albert Smijers. At the time (Elders 1985, 4), Elders assumed that the number of known works would develop as follows with the source discoveries:

  • Masses and mass fragments: Increase from 27 (Smijers) to 41 (Elders)
  • Motets: Increase from 110 (Smijers) to 159 (Elders)
  • Secular works: increase from 72 (Smijers) to 101 (Elders)

A separation of edition and critical reports should especially give more space to the critical reports.

In addition, the degree of authenticity of the works was classified by the addition of two stars (misattributions), one star (authenticity doubtful) and no star (authentic work). The editors’ decision not to publish editions of works that have been judged to be misattributions is still controversial today.

NJETITLEYEAREDITORS
1The sources2013Willem Elders en Eric Jas
2Facsimiles from sources of compositions attributed to Josquin2007Willem Elders in collaboration with Marnix van Berchum
3aMasses based on Gregorian chants 12003Willem Elders
3bMasses based on Gregorian chants 1: Critical Commentary2003Willem Elders
4aMasses based on Gregorian chants 22000Willem Elders
4bMasses based on Gregorian chants 2: Critical Commentary2000Willem Elders
5aMasses based on secular monophonic songs 12010Martin Just
5bMasses based on secular monophonic songs 1: Critical Commentary2010Martin Just
6aMasses based on secular monophonic Songs 22014Jesse Rodin
6bMasses based on secular monophonic Songs 2 – Critical Commentary2014Jesse Rodin
7aMasses based on secular polyphonic songs 11997Thomas Noblitt
7bMasses based on secular polyphonic songs 1: Critical Commentary1997Thomas Noblitt
8aMasses based on secular polyphonic songs 21995Barton Hudson
8bMasses based on secular polyphonic songs 2: Critical Commentary1996Barton Hudson
9aMasses based on secular polyphonic songs 31994Barton Hudson
9bMasses based on secular polyphonic songs 3: Critical Commentary1995Barton Hudson
10aMasses based on sacred polyphonic songs1999Willem Elders
10bMasses based on sacred polyphonic songs: Critical commentary1999Willem Elders
11aMasses based on solmisation themes2002James Haar und Lewis Lockwood
11bMasses based on solmisation themes: Critical Commentary2002James Haar und Lewis Lockwood
12aCanonic masses2012Peter Urquhart
12bCanonic Masses: Critical Commentary2012Peter Urquhart
13aMass movements1999Barton Hudson
13bMass movements: Critical Commentary1999Barton Hudson
14aMotets on texts from the Old Testament 12002Richard Sherr
14bMotets on texts from the Old Testament 1 – Critical Commentary2002Richard Sherr
15aMotets on texts from the Old Testament 22009Patrick Macey
15bMotets on texts from the Old Testament 2 – Critical Commentary2009Patrick Macey
16aMotets on texts from the Old Testament 32000Martin Picker
16bMotets on texts from the Old Testament 3 – Critical Commentary2000Martin Picker
17aMotets on texts from the Old Testament 42008Eric Jas
17bMotets on texts from the Old Testament 4 – Critical Commentary2008Eric Jas
18aMotets on texts from the Old Testament 52011Leeman Perkins
18bMotets on Texts from the Old Testament 5 – Critical Commentary2011Leeman Perkins
19aMotets on texts from the New Testament 11998Martin Just
19bMotets on texts from the New Testament 1 – Critical Commentary1998Martin Just
20aMotets on texts from the New Testament 22006Martin Just
20bMotets on texts from the New Testament 2 – Critical commentary2006Martin Just
21aMotets on non-biblical texts 1: De domino Jesu Christo 12007Bonnie Blackburn
21bMotets on non-biblical texts 1: De domino Jesu Christo 1 – Critical commentary2003Bonnie Blackburn
22aMotets on non-biblical texts 2: De domino Jesu Christo 22003Bonnie Blackburn
22bMotets on non-biblical texts 2: De Domino Jesu Christo 2 – Critical commentary2003Bonnie Blackburn
23aMotets on non-biblical texts 3: De beata Maria virgine 12006Willem Elders
23bMotets on non-biblical texts 3: De beata Maria virgine 1: Critical commentary2006Willem Elders
24aMotets on non-biblical texts 4: De beata Maria virgine 22007Willem Elders
24bMotets on non-biblical texts 4: De beata Maria virgine 2 – Critical commentary2007Willem Elders
25aMotets on non-biblical texts 5 – De beata Maria virgine 32009Willem Elders
25bMotets on non-biblical texts 5 – De beata Maria virgine 3 – Critical Commentary2009Willem Elders
26aMotets on texts Pro diversis temporibus et festis and on miscellaneous texts2012Ton Braas
26bMotets on texts Pro diversis temporibus – Critical Commentary2012Ton Braas
27aSecular works for three voice1987Jaap van Benthem & Howard Mayer Brown
27bSecular works for three voices – Critical Commentary1991Jaap van Benthem & Howard Mayer Brown
28aSecular works for four voices2005David Fallows
28bSecular works for four voices – Critical Commentary2005David Fallows
29aSecular Works for Five Voices2016Patrick Macey
29bSecular Works for Five Voices – Critical Commentary2017Patrick Macey
30aSecular Works for Six Voices2015Patrick Macey
30bSecular Works for Six Voices – Critical Commentary2015Patrick Macey with an appendix by Eric Jas