Masses by Ludwig Daser and Matthaeus Le Maistre

This edition presents four parody masses from the court of Duke Albrecht V of Bavaria: Ludwig Daser’s Missa Ave Maria, Missa Preter rerum seriem, and Missa Qui habitat in adjutorio; and Matthaeus Le Maistre’s Missa Preter rerum seriem. Each is based on a motet by Josquin des Prez (ca. 1450–1521), and together they shed light on the broad ongoing interest in Josquin’s motets across both Protestant and Catholic Europe. They also provide a bridge between Daser and Le Maistre, who served at the Bavarian ducal court in the mid-1550s, and the court’s two more famous Kapellmeistern, Ludwig Senfl (ca. 1489–1543) and Orlandus Lassus (1532–94). Finally—given that all four masses are on models by a single venerated composer, that both Daser and Le Maistre worked in the same establishment, that three masses are by one composer, and that two masses share a model—they offer the opportunity for close stylistic comparison, collectively revealing Daser’s and Le Maistre’s individual approaches to parody technique and the challenges presented by the specific models. This study capitalizes on the unique opportunity afforded by this closely related group of parody masses by seeking to elicit the parodists’ understanding and appreciation of Josquin’s models and how they grappled with transforming each motet’s complex of artistic qualities into a mass.

Digital Prints and Paper Offprints are also available.