CHAPTER 15
MUSIC AT THE CATHEDRAL
OF FLORENCE
The cathedral of Florence serves as a
cultural icon for all of Italy
The gigantic dome was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi
(1377-1446) and was completed in 1436,
at which time the cathedral was dedicated.
MUSIC FOR THE DEDICATION,
25 MARCH 1436
• The dedication of the cathedral of Florence was
celebrated by Pope Eugenius IV and the papal
chapel, both then resident in Florence. The pope’s
magister cappellae (master, or leader, of the
chapel) was then Guillaume Dufay (pronounced
“Du-fa-y”), a native of the region of Cambrai in
northern France.
DUFAY’S NUPER ROSARUM FLORES
• To make the dedicatory ceremony more splendid,
Dufay composed an isorhythmic motet Nuper
rosarum flores (Recently roses). The isorhythmic
structure of the work involves a complicated
scheme, but can be reduced to a simple durational
ratio of 6:4:2:3.
Schematic diagram of the four sections of
Dufay’s Nuper rosarum flores
I
Duet then four voices
28 x 6 half-notes
II
Duet then four voices
28 x 4 half-notes
III
Duet then four voices
28 x 2 half-notes
IV
Duet then four voices
28 x 3 half-notes
• The proportions 6:4:2:3 were those of the biblical
temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, and thus Nuper
rosarum flores involves musical number symbolism.
The musical and textual structures of Nuper rosarum
flores are also informed by number symbolism in ways
that allude to the Virgin Mary.
MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE
• Dufay’s Nuper rosarum flores is one of the few
pieces in the history of music to attempt to reflect
in sound the dimensions of the architectural space
for which it was created. Each of the dimensions
of the cathedral of Florence, width, length, and
height, is 72 braccia (the braccio, Italian for arm, is
about 22 inches in length). Brunelleschi’s dome is
72 braccia wide and 2 x 72 braccia high. 2 x 72 =
144 and similarly 6 x 4 x 2 x 3 = 144.