Sicut Cervus, 1594, Palestrina: A Vocal Performance

Sicut Cervus was composed by one of the most celebrated Renaissance composers, Giovanni

Pierluigi de la Palestrina. Palestrina spent most of his life in Italy in various clerical positions and

wrote both secular and ecclesiastic pieces, though like so many of his contemporaries, he never

took Holy Orders. Palestrina wrote 104 masses, and composed in every other liturgical genre

of his day, as well as nearly 100 madrigals. (Dickey, 2017)

Figure 1 Giovanni Pierluigi de la Palestrina

(BandPalestrina, 2017)

Flamma Chorum has chosen to perform this piece as if meeting with friends for a social

gathering in an Italian city, around the year 1604, when this piece was officially published. This

piece of sacred music would have been available in the book Motecta Festorum Liber Secundus

Motectorum : Quae Partim Quinis, Partim Senis, Partim Octonis Vocibus Concinuntur, which

translates to 2nd Book of Motets, where part five, or six, or eight words are sung. In spite of the

book being published in 1604, the song Sicut Cervus, was composed between 1525-1594 in

Italy. The quest to find the extant piece of music was a difficult one. Many Universities were
 Sicut Cervus, 1594, Palestrina: A Vocal Performance

called and emails exchanged, it took almost a month but we did successfully find the extant

copy of the bass and soprano parts, as well as an early translation of all parts, courtesy of Franz

Espagne. Espanges translation is written in German, yet all of the redactions from the extant

piece are in its original Latin. (Espagne, 1875) Please find the extant copy at the end of this

documentation.

Figure 2 and 3 Motecta Festorum, 1875 Redaction

According to Richard Fuller, keyboardist and worship leader for St. Marys Church in

Scarborough, Renaissance church music is described as choral polyphony. (Fuller, 2010) Often

times, these songs were referred to as a motet, the simplistic definition of a motet is a short

piece of sacred choral music, typically polyphonic and unaccompanied. (Manning, 2017)

Polyphony refers to having more than a single part sung and choral polyphony was intended

to be sung a cappella. (Manning, 2017) This performance of Sicut Cervus will be sung with no

musical accompaniment in order to keep the original intention of vocal beauty relevant.
 Sicut Cervus, 1594, Palestrina: A Vocal Performance

Original Latin Psalm 42

Sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes aquarum, As the deer longs for streams of water,

ita desiderat anima mea ad te, Deus. (Psalms, 2017) so my soul longs for you, O God (Psalms, 2017)

Sicut Cervus is a song written using direct wording from Psalm 42 as often songs used in

mass settings are. In a beautiful description, author Timothy Dickey describes how this

particular piece may have been to the 16th century person:

To a sixteenth century Catholic mind, the Psalm text "Sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes aquarum" would evoke
two extremely important liturgical situations. The first comes once a year, during the Easter Vigil. The Church's
celebration of Christ's Resurrection took place on the night before Easter, with a splendid array of liturgical
fireworks. The dark penintence of Lent and Holy Week end with the lighting of "new fire," the chant Exultet, the
grand Litanies of the Saints, and a service that resounds with "Alleluias." During this service, new converts to the
faith would be examined and brought forth for Holy Baptism, and would thus celebrate their first Communion
on the day of Christ's victory. Sicut cervus serves as the Tract on this brilliant feast day, sung during the
procession to the baptismal font. In this context, the Psalm text resonates with the sacramental waters of
Baptism as well as the living water of the Eucharist. (Dickey, 2017)

In order to enhance the vocal performance,

care was taken to present an authentic

representation of how the piece may have been sung.

As one can see in paintings from the time period,

music was an important aspect to social function.

When looking at the paintings, one can see the

importance of music to the livelihood of a social

gathering. Not only that, but when searching, one

often comes upon entire family portraits, such as the Figure 4 Musicians 1502-1550, Belgium
 Sicut Cervus, 1594, Palestrina: A Vocal Performance

Van Berchem Family Portrait. Here, the entire

family gathers around a center of musicality, as

if they all share in the love and art of song.

To maximize authenticity, each choir

member is outfitted in clothing indicative of

Italian or English dress from the years between

Figure 5 Van Berchem family portrait, 1561 (Floris)
1550-1570. It was important to look the part of

those who may have originally sung the song so as to transport the listener back in time.

In many works of art created

during the 16th century, one can see

many musicians gathered around a

single book of music while others show

the preference for a lectern or music

stand. For this performance, due to the

size of our choir, we have opted to not

gather around a single book of music,

Figure 6 Concert of Sacred Musicians 1530 (Burgkmair)
but instead to use a double-sided lectern

like the one you find pictured on the 16th century wood panel painting entitled Concert of

Sacred Musicians. If one looks closely they can see that the singers and page turners gather

towards the front of the stand, while other musicians stand behind.
 Sicut Cervus, 1594, Palestrina: A Vocal Performance

This piece was practiced for a 4-month time period in which Latin pronunciation was

extensively studied and honed. The timing and running notation proved to be very challenging

and was practiced using single voices, various parts together and as an entire choir. Due to the

varied musical training of members, some of whom can read music, some of whom cannot,

every practice has been a learning experience. Below you will find a copy of the modernly

redacted piece for ease of following along.

Sicut Cervus, 1594, Palestrina: A Vocal Performance
Sicut Cervus, 1594, Palestrina: A Vocal Performance
Sicut Cervus, 1594, Palestrina: A Vocal Performance
Sicut Cervus, 1594, Palestrina: A Vocal Performance
Sicut Cervus, 1594, Palestrina: A Vocal Performance

Extant Soprano and Bass

Parts (Palestrina, 1604)
 Sicut Cervus, 1594, Palestrina: A Vocal Performance

Bibliography
(n.d.).

BandPalestrina. (2017, 02 12). Giovanni Peirluigi de la Palestrina (1525-1594). Retrieved from

Associazione Musicale Bandistica Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina:
http://www.bandapalestrina.it/giovanni-pierluigi-da-palestrina.html?showall=1&limitstart=

Burgkmair, H. (n.d.). Concert of Sacred Music . Collection of John Appleby, Ausburg 1530.

Dickey, T. (2017, 2 12). Artist Biography. Retrieved from All Music :

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/giovanni-pierluigi-da-palestrina-mn0001213399

Elder, P. C. (n.d.). Musicians . De Agostini Picture Library, 1502-1550, Belgium .

Espagne, F. (1875). Motecta Festorum . Berlin : Sacred Harmonic Society.

Floris, F. (n.d.). Van Berchem Family . Museum Wuyts-Van Campen en Baron Caroly, Leir.

Fuller, R. P. (2010, 02 15). Renaissance Music . Retrieved from RP Fuller Renaissance Music :
http://rpfuller.com/gcse/music/renaissance.html

Manning, C. (2017, 4 12). Chealsea Manning, Author and Classical Singer . Retrieved from O Magnum
from 3 composers : https://chealseamanning.wordpress.com

Palestrina, G. P. (1604). Liber Secundus Motectorum : Quae Partim Quinis, Partim Senis, Partim Octonis
Vocibus Concinuntur. Rome .

Psalms. (2017, 04 10). Bible (The New American Translation). Retrieved from United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops: http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/42