Unger M.P. Historical Dictionary of Choral Music

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MUNDY, WILLIAM (C. 1528–C. 1591). English composer, father

of John Mundy. He apparently spent his career entirely in London,

where he was head chorister of Westminster Abbey in 1543 and

a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal from 1564. Securely attributed

works include some English services, about a dozen anthems (some

incomplete), 2 masses, and some 30 Latin motets (some incomplete),

among them, settings of the Magnificat. Other works (particularly

services and anthems) are ascribed simply to “Mundy,” and could be

by either William or his son.

MUSGRAVE, THEA (27 MAY 1928– ). Scottish composer of consid-

erable versatility, who moved to the United States in the 1970s. She

is known for dramatic concerti, operas, choral works, and chamber

music. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, she stud-

ied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger (1949–54) and at Tanglewood with

Aaron Copland. She was also influenced by the music of Charles

Ives and Milton Babbitt. Her style changed considerably during the

course of her career, the diatonic (often modal) harmonic language

of her early works giving way to increasing chromaticism, then to se-

rialism, and eventually evolving into an expressive, post-serial style

that she called “dramatic-abstract.” Examples of her choral works

include Four Madrigals (1953); The Five Ages of Man, with orch.

(1963); Memento creatoris, for chorus and opt. org. (1967); Rorate

coeli (1974, rev. 1976); The Last Twilight, a theater piece for SATB,

3 hn., 4 tpt., 4 trbn., and perc. (1980); and On the Underground (3

sets, 1994–95).

MUSICA. International online database of choral music. Initially cre-

ated in 1983, it was developed by the library of the Centre d’Art

Polyphonique d’Alsace (CAPA), France. Since 1990 it has been

supported by the International Center for Choral Music (ICCM),

whose mandate from the International Federation for Choral

Music (IFCM) is to create a comprehensive international database of

choral music. In 1998 Musica International, a nonprofit society, was

founded to develop and promote the Musica database and to trans-

form it progressively into a virtual multimedia library.

MUSICA FICTA [LAT. “FALSE MUSIC”]. The chromatic altera-

tions of written notes required in the performance of Western music

written before 1600. Since these pitches lay outside the standard

(hexachordal) system of notes used at the time, performers had to

322 • MUNDY, WILLIAM

adjust the written pitches. Modern critical editions supply the missing

accidentals, usually above the staff. Such editorial decisions interpret

historical statements about harmonic consonance and voice-leading,

and are subject to much scholarly controversy.

MUSICA RESERVATA. A term used but never clearly defined by

writers from c. 1550 to 1625. It may refer to music that is particularly

expressive of the text, but without unnecessary ornamentation (this

appears to have been the meaning as applied to the works of Josquin

des Prez and to the penitential psalms of Orlande de Lassus) and/or

to music whose performance or comprehension is reserved for musi-

cal specialists.

MUSICA TRANSALPINA. The first printed collection of Italian

madrigals fitted with English translations, edited in two volumes

by Nicholas Yonge (London, 1588 and 1597). While the collections

focused on Italian composers, William Byrd was included in Vol-

ume 1. The two anthologies played an important role in the sudden

flowering of the English madrigal.

MUSIQUE MESURÉE. A style of music invented by the members

of an académie in Paris led by Jean-Antoine de Baïf (1532–89),

which tried to recapture the rhetorical power of classical music by

applying the principles of metrical accentuation in ancient poetry to

contemporary French verse: in musical settings long and short syl-

lables were matched with long and short notes, respectively. See also

COSTELEY, GUILLAUME; LE JEUNE, CLAUDE; MAUDUIT,

JACQUES.

MUSSORGSKY, MODEST (9/21 MARCH 1839–16/28 MARCH

1881). Russian composer who helped pioneer a distinctly Russian

style. Largely self-taught, he was the most original composer of the

group of nationalist composers known as “The Five.” Although he is

best remembered for his operas and solo songs, he also produced a

handful of choral works, including Porazheniye Sennakheriba [The

Destruction of Sennacherib], for chorus and orch. (1867, rev. 1874);

Iisus Navin [Joshua], for A, B, chorus, and pf. (1874–77, ed. Nikolai

Rimsky-Korsakov, 1883); Three Vocalises, for three female vv.

(1880); and Five Russian Folksongs, for male vv. (1880). The cho-

ral scenes from his opera Boris Godunov (1869, rev. 1872) are also

sometimes performed in concert.

MUSSORGSKY, MODEST • 323

– N –

NANINO, GIOVANNI BERNARDINO (BORN C. 1560; DIED

MAY 1618). Italian composer. Like his elder brother, Giovanni

Maria Nanino, he worked in Rome. His earliest published music

consists of polyphonic madrigals for five voices; later publica-

tions include several books of motets for one to five voices with

continuo.

NANINO, GIOVANNI MARIA (1543/44–11 MARCH 1607). Ital-

ian composer, elder brother of Giovanni Bernardino Nanino. With

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (who may have been his teacher),

he was the most highly regarded composer in Rome of his time, and

an influential teacher whose students included Felice Anerio and

Gregorio Allegri. He was often represented in anthologies of the

time, and many of his madrigals were reprinted. Surviving works

include a book of motets, two of polyphonic madrigals, and one of

canzonettas.

NAYLOR, BERNARD (22 NOVEMBER 1907–19/20 MAY 1986).

English composer, organist, and conductor, active in England and

Canada. He studied with Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Wil-

liams. His compositions consist mostly of choral works in a tradi-

tional style characterized by restrained, chromatic counterpoint.

They include motets and other sacred music in Latin and English, as

well as larger works such as The Resurrection According to St. Mat-

thew, for S, Bar., B, spkrs., SATB, chbr. and orch. (1967).

NELHYBEL, VACLAV (24 SEPTEMBER 1919–22 MARCH

1996). American composer of Czech birth. After holding various

conducting positions in Czechoslovakia and Switzerland, he emi-

grated to the United States in 1957. His music (which includes many

wind and band pieces for young performers) is characterized by poly-

phonic textures employing modal (often Czech-derived) thematic

material, vigorous rhythms, and a propulsion achieved by means of

accumulated dissonance, increased textural density, and vividly con-

trasting dynamics and timbres. Among his choral works are Cantata

pacis, for 6 solo vv., chorus, winds, perc., and org. (1965); Epitaph

for a Soldier, for solo vv. and chorus (1966); Dies ultima, for 3 solo

vv., chorus, jazz band, and orch. (1967); Sine nomine, for 4 solo vv.,

chorus, orch., and tape (1968); America Sings, for Bar., chorus, and

324 • NANINO, GIOVANNI BERNARDINO

band (1974); Estampie natalis, for chorus and ens. (1975); Adoratio

(1979); Fables for All Time, for nar., chorus, and orch. (1980); and

Let There Be Music, for Bar., chorus, and orch. (1982).

NELSON, RON (14 DECEMBER 1929– ). Prolific American com-

poser who has written in a diversity of styles and forms. Among more

than ninety published choral works are The Christmas Story, a can-

tata for Bar., nar., chorus, org., brass, and perc. (1958); the oratorio

What Is Man?, for S, Bar., nar., chorus, and orch./opt. versions for

fewer insts. (1964); and God Bring Thy Sword, for chorus, org., and

opt. perc. (1967).

NENNA, POMPONIO (BAPTIZED 13 JUNE 1556; DIED BE-

FORE 22 OCTOBER 1613). Italian composer, active in Naples and

Rome. He is best remembered for his madrigals, which employ a

chromaticism reminiscent of Carlo Gesualdo. He published at least

9 volumes of madrigals; surviving among them are 6 volumes for

five voices (1 volume published posthumously), 1 volume for four

voices, and some individual villanellas (together comprising about

140 pieces). Also extant are 2 volumes of responsories.

NERI, FILIPPO (21 JULY 1515–26 MAY 1595). Italian religious

leader and saint. In 1548 he founded the Confraternita della SS Trinità

to assist pilgrims arriving in Rome. After entering the priesthood in

1551, he began meeting with a group of laymen for the purpose of en-

couraging religious devotion. By 1554 the attendance at these meetings

had grown so much that they were moved to the church loft, which was

remodeled as a prayer hall (“oratorio”). In 1575 Pope Gregory XIII

recognized the group officially as the Congregazione dell’Oratorio.

Neri used music to attract people to these spiritual exercises—in

particular, the singing of laude, and later, oratorios. The earliest mu-

sic director for Neri’s oratory was Giovanni Animuccia.

NETHERLANDERS. See FRANCO-FLEMISH SCHOOL.

NETHERLANDS CHAMBER CHOIR [NEDERLANDS KAMER-

KOOR]. Full-time, independent, professional choir, known for its

performances of a cappella repertoire spanning the whole of Western

music history. Founded in 1937 by Felix de Nobel, the choir now

sings under various conductors, who specialize in different periods

of music, in concerts, tours, and recording projects. In much of the

group’s early history it was known for early music performance, a

NETHERLANDS CHAMBER CHOIR • 325

reputation regained in more recent years. It is now also known for

commissioning many new works.

NEUEN, DONALD (22 DECEMBER 1933– ). American choral

conductor. A protégé of Robert Shaw, he has taught at the Eastman

School of Music and the University of California at Los Angeles,

among other universities. Additional choral conducting appointments

have included ones with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Los

Angeles-based Angeles Chorale, and the Crystal Cathedral in Gar-

den Grove, California. He has been active internationally as a guest

conductor and choral clinician.

NEUMEISTER, ERDMANN (12 MAY 1671–18 AUGUST 1756).

German clergyman and poet who first wrote German cantata libret-

tos suitable for setting in the operatic style, that is, with recitatives

and Italian-style arias. In all, Neumeister wrote nine cycles of poetic

texts for the liturgy, each containing texts for all the Sundays of the

church year and other feast days. He introduced the new (madri-

galian) type of verse in his second cycle, published in 1700 under the

title Geistliche Cantaten statt einer Kirchen-Music.

NIELSEN, CARL AUGUST (9 JUNE 1865–3 OCTOBER 1931).

Danish composer, violinist, and conductor. He is best remembered

for his six symphonies. His early works were influenced by Romanti-

cism. With the onset of World War I (and the experience of discord in

his personal life), he developed a sharper, more aggressive style, with

pungent, chromatic dissonances, extended tonalities (including poly-

tonal passages), and concentrated polyphonic writing. His output

includes some 16 works for chorus and orchestra. Mostly cantatas,

they include Hymnus amoris, op. 12, for S, T, Bar., B, chorus, and

orch. (1896–97); Søvnen [Sleep], op. 18 (1904); and Fynsk foraar

[Springtime on Funen], op. 42, for S, T, B, chorus, and orch. (1921).

He also wrote some two dozen works for unaccompanied chorus

(nine of them for male voices), and incidental music for plays, which

utilize the chorus.

NILES, JOHN JACOB (28 APRIL 1892–1 MARCH 1980). Ameri-

can composer, ballad singer, and collector, famous for his songs

“Barbara Allen,” “Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair,” and

“I Wonder as I Wander,” which are frequently performed in choral

arrangements.

326 • NEUEN, DONALD

NOBLE, WESTON (30 NOVEMBER 1922– ). American choral

conductor and pedagogue, best known for his long tenure as di-

rector of the Nordic Choir of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa

(1948–2005), and as a guest director at more than 800 music festi-

vals on four continents—conducting not only choirs but also bands

and orchestras.

NØRGÅRD, PER (13 JULY 1932– ). Danish composer. His early

works show the influence of Vagn Holmboe (with whom he studied)

and Jean Sibelius. Later his style became more complex and diverse

as a result of encounters with serialism, the music of India and East

Asia, and the paintings of Swiss artist Adolf Wölfli. Integral to much

of his work is the use of “infinity series” (whose construction allows

basic tone rows and their inversions to be repeated in an indefinite

number of transformations) and the concept’s analogous application

to other musical elements such as harmony and rhythm. Among some

45 unaccompanied choral works (or sets of pieces) are Wie ein Kind

(1980, rev. 1992); Three Motets (based on the Agnus Dei text, 1982);

Og der skal ikke mere gives tid [And Time Shall Be No More] (em-

ploying a macaronic text, 1993); and a half-dozen pieces for male

chorus. Among some 40 accompanied choral works are Det skete i

de dage [It Happened in Those Days], for mixed chorus, children’s

chorus, actors, recs., tpt., perc., and str. (1960); and the oratorios

Dommen [The Judgment], for Mez., T, 2 Bar., B, mixed chorus, fe-

male chorus, children’s chorus, winds, perc., pf., str., and tape (1962,

rev. 1965); and Babel, for soloists, chorus, insts., dancers, and mime

ad lib. (1965, rev. 1968).

NØRHOLM, IB (24 JANUARY 1931– ). Danish composer. Along

with other composers of Per Nørgård’s circle, he embraced seri-

alism and other modern techniques after having begun in a more

traditional post-Nielsen style. Later he juxtaposed or blended styles

in a pluralistic manner. Among more than two dozen choral works

are Kenotafium, op. 23, for 1 v., chorus, and orch. (1961); Light and

Praise, op. 55, for solo vv., chorus, and orch. (1971); Days’ Night-

mare I–II, opp. 57–58, for solo vv., chorus, and orch. (1971); Songs,

op. 59, for equal vv. (1971); and Proprium Missa Dominicae Pen-

tecoste, op. 71, for vv., 2 choruses, winds, and orch.; and Sjaelfuld

Sommer, op. 146, a song cycle for mixed chorus (1997).

NØRHOLM, IB • 327

NUNC DIMITTIS. The canticle of Simeon (Luke 2: 29–32), sung at

Compline in the Roman Catholic rite, at Evensong in the Anglican

tradition. In the latter rite it is preceded by the Magnificat.

NYSTEDT, KNUT (3 SEPTEMBER 1915– ). Norwegian composer.

In 1950 he founded Det norske solistkor [Norwegian Soloist Choir],

with which he toured internationally, popularizing Scandinavian mu-

sic of the time. From 1946 to 1982 he was organist and choirmaster

at the Torshov Church in Oslo. His activities in the church music

renewal movement in Norway made him much sought after in the

United States. After 1960, his works began to incorporate timbral ex-

periments (influenced by György Ligeti and Krzysztof Penderecki)

within tonal frameworks. His choral compositions range from sim-

ple, functional pieces (often for church use) to more complex ones in

an eclectic mix of diverse styles and techniques. Examples include

The Burnt Sacrifice, op. 36, for reciter, chorus, and orch. (1954); De

profundis, op. 54 (1964); Lucis creator optime, op. 58, for solo vv.,

chorus, and orch. (1968); and Suoni, op. 62, for four-part female cho-

rus, fl., and mar.; among many others. Often performed is The Path

of the Just, for mixed chorus (1968).

– O –

OBBLIGATO. An independent, indispensable accompanying melodic

line in a musical composition.

OBRECHT, JACOB (1457/58–BEFORE 1 AUGUST 1505). Franco-

Flemish composer. The most important contemporary of Josquin

des Prez, he led an unsettled life, holding various church positions

in The Lowlands. From August 1487 to about June 1488, he visited

the court of Duke Ercole d’Este in Ferrara, returning there in 1504

as maestro di cappella. A year later he died of the plague. He is best

remembered for 27 surviving, securely attributed masses (most of

which are for four voices and almost all of which are based on a can-

tus firmus) and about as many motets. He also wrote more than 30

secular pieces, most of them with Dutch texts. Several of the masses

incorporate complex mathematical (even numerological) principles

of design. The most famous of these is the Missa Sub tuum pre-

sidium, which begins in three-voice texture, then gains an extra voice

328 • NUNC DIMITTIS

in each successive movement, ending with a seven-voice Agnus Dei.

Notwithstanding Obrecht’s preoccupation with design (evident es-

pecially in the masses) his music has a directly appealing loveliness

and exuberance, with fluid melodies, clearly defined phrases, stable

harmonies, and frequent parallel tenths.

OCKEGHEM, JEAN DE [JOHANNES, JEHAN] (C. 1410–6 FEB-

RUARY 1497). Franco-Flemish composer. In 1446 he was a mem-

ber of the chapel of Charles I, Duke of Bourbon. By 1451 he was at

the French court, where he remained until his death, serving Charles

VII, Louis XI, and Charles VIII in turn. His style is characterized by

sonorous, seamless polyphony, in which the voices are increasingly

given equal treatment, yet with little imitation among voices (though

the treble-dominated chansons do provide exceptions). The bass line

extends lower than was customary, and the tenor and countertenor

often cross each other, creating a heavier texture. Surviving, securely

attributed works include 14 masses (mostly for four voices, and many

employing a secular cantus firmus), a handful of motets (mostly for

four voices), and some 20 chansons (for three voices). One of his

most extraordinary works is the Missa Prolationem, in which canons

progressing from the unison to the octave are presented, with the

voices imitating each other at different speeds—a result achieved by

the use of different prolations (i.e., proportional relationships among

rhythmic note values) in each voice. Freely composed masses include

the Missa Mi-Mi, in which a descending fifth in the bass (E-A in the

original, both tones being “mi” in the Guidonian system of solmiza-

tion) serves as the motto of every movement.

Ockeghem was renowned for his extraordinary contrapuntal

skills and other composers, such as Jacob Obrecht and Pierre de

la Rue [La Rue], paid homage to him by basing compositions on

borrowed material from his works. He is also credited with having

written the earliest surviving polyphonic Requiem.

ODE. In England, from the Restoration (1660) to the early 1800s, a cer-

emonial cantata for a royal celebration on occasions such as birth-

days, coronations, funerals, New Year’s Day, and St. Cecilia’s Day.

It was usually performed by members of the Chapel Royal and court

instrumentalists. Composers of odes include John Blow, Henry

Purcell (who wrote 24), George Frideric Handel, and Edward El-

gar. In later times, the term has been used more indiscriminately.

ODE • 329

OFFENBACH, JACQUES (20 JUNE 1819–5 OCTOBER 1880).

French composer of German origin, best remembered for his oper-

ettas. His light, tuneful style and his witty (often naughty) librettos

were largely responsible for establishing the genre internationally,

allowing it to evolve into the 20th-century musical. His choral works

are almost entirely secular. They include the witty oratorio Citrouil-

lard au désert, for narr., chorus, and orch. (1846); and a dozen pieces

for male chorus, most unaccompanied or with piano—eight of them

to German texts.

OFFERTORY. In the Roman Catholic Eucharist, the music sung dur-

ing the offering of the bread and wine on the altar. Although offerto-

ries originally consisted of Proper chants, composers began writing

polyphonic settings, often ignoring the canonical texts. Significant

collections of offertories were published by Giovanni Pierluigi da

Palestrina and Orlande de Lassus.

OFFICES. See DIVINE OFFICE.

OPERATIC CHORUS. The invention of opera in Florence around

1600 led to an unprecedented emphasis on solo singing, especially in

the forms of recitative and aria. Choruses in operas (when they oc-

cur) are often heavily dependent on the solo voices (in both musical

and dramatic terms). For this reason, choral conductors have included

them in concert programs relatively infrequently. Nevertheless, some

more-or-less self-contained opera choruses (e.g., hunting or drinking

choruses) have become staples in the choral repertoire. One of the

most popular is “Va pensiero” from Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco.

ORATORIO. An extended dramatic or narrative work in the style of

an opera, usually on a sacred theme but most often not intended to be

staged. Like opera, oratorio makes extensive use of solo singing (in

the form of recitatives and arias) and (usually) orchestral accompa-

niment; in contrast to opera it generally also makes much use of the

chorus. Plots are often adaptations of biblical stories, or hagiogra-

phies. Occasionally the librettos are moral or allegorical in nature.

The genre was cultivated most extensively during the 17th and 18th

centuries. It was an Italian creation, one that allowed composers to

bring the popular operatic style into a religious (though nonliturgical)

context. It grew out of the tendency around 1600 toward increased

theatricality in Italian sacred music. In particular, the impetus came

330 • OFFENBACH, JACQUES

from the Congregazione dell’Oratorio, a religious order founded in

the spirit of the Council of Trent by Filippo Neri, whose informal

devotional meetings cultivated music that would attract the laity. It

was natural to turn to the new theatrical style for this purpose.

Earliest examples of the new genre (though not yet called oratorio)

appear in Giovanni Francesco Teatro armonico spirituale di madri-

gali (Rome, 1619). The music of these works is conservative—not

yet distinguishing clearly between recitative and aria styles. The

earliest documented use of the term oratorio to mean a musical com-

position occurred in 1640.

By mid-century composers such as Giacomo Carissimi were dis-

tinguishing between oratorio volgare, which employed Italian texts,

and oratorio latino, which used Latin ones (the latter type being cul-

tivated only at the aristocratic Oratorio del SS Crocifisso in Rome).

Their works now included recitatives, ariosos, and arias, and could

last up to 60 minutes.

Italian oratorios were constructed in two sections; when performed

in an oratory, a sermon was presented between the two parts. Latin

oratorios, on the other hand, were normally written as single units.

Carissimi was the leading composer of Latin oratorios: about a dozen

of his works that approximate the normative characteristics of the

genre survive. Most of these recount Old Testament stories, whose

characters are represented by soloists, while their narrative portions

are given to soloists, ensemble, or chorus. While Carissimi made ex-

tensive use of the chorus in his oratorios (in which it often represents a

group of individuals), the same cannot be said of his contemporaries.

By the end of the 1600s, oratorios were offered increasingly as

quasi-secular entertainment in the palaces of the nobility, particularly

during Lent, when they substituted for operas. Notwithstanding this

development, they continued to be presented in oratories, as well as

in Roman educational institutions. Leading composers of oratorios

in Rome during this time included Bernardo Pasquini, Alessandro

Stradella, Alessandro Scarlatti, Antonio Caldara and, for a short

while, George Frideric Handel.

Oratorio flourished in other Italian cities as well, and began

spreading to other countries, developing along lines similar to those

of opera, with orchestral accompaniments becoming increasingly

important, regular alternation of recitatives and arias becoming stan-

dard, and florid arias in da capo form becoming the norm. Important

ORATORIO • 331