Quomodo Tempus Fugit: Time, Mensuration, and Performance in Obrecht's Missa Maria Zart

Despite the fact that tempo, proportions, metre, and conducting-in short, all and sundry aspects of time-are central to Renaissance polyphony, their rather haphazard treatment in performance suggests that recent musicological insights have not consistently found their way to the concert stage or recording studio. In the hope of improving this state of affairs, the authors of this report organized a two-day symposium entitled Tempus fugit, in combination with a project by vocal ensemble Cappella Pratensis around Jacob Obrecht’s Missa Maria zart. This article presents a report on the performance and the symposium.

Publication year:2020

Keywords:Obrecht, Mass, polyphony