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Patrick Macey
New discoveries about the biography of one of the major composers in the Western tradition, Josquin des Prez (c. 1450-1521), have occurred during the past few years, and he can now be firmly placed in Milan in the 1480s. Previously it was thought that he worked at the cathedral in Milan beginning in 1459, and that he transferred to the service of Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza in 1473 and remained there until 1476, but it turns out that this was another musician altogether who happened also to be named Josquin (Juschino cantore, also called Judocus de Picardia), and not the more famous Josquin des Prez. 1 The arrival of Josquin des Prez in Milan in 1484 coincides with Leonardo da Vinci's (1452-1519) relocation from Florence to Milan just one year earlier. Both artists sought the patronage of the ruling Sforza family: Josquin worked for Cardinal Ascanio Maria Sforza in 1484-5, then for Duke Ludovico Maria Sforza in 1489, and Leonardo sought the patronage of Ludovico as well. The study of patronage practices by the Sforza family provides useful clues in the task of constructing a chronology for some of Josquin's motets. Motets that can be assigned to his period of activity in Milan in the 1480s include the magnificent cycle of seven (and possibly eight) motets titled Vultum tuum deprecabuntur . Devotional practices of the Sforza rulers in Milan can shed light on texts chosen for Josquin's motets, but it is necessary to reconstruct these practices from diverse sources, including contemporary historical accounts, hand-copied sources of Josquin's music, and even contemporary architecture.
One text in particular had special meaning for the Sforza family, and it occurs prominently in Josquin's cycle Vultum tuum deprecabuntur ; the text is an invocation for assistance from the Blessed Virgin Mary: "Maria mater gratiae, mater misericordiae" (Mary, mother of grace, mother of mercy). In order to explain the importance of this text for the rulers of Milan, a brief sketch of the history of the duchy is in order. In the fifteenth century Milan was one of the wealthiest territories in Italy, given its strategic location on the trade routes between Italy and the commercial centers beyond the Alps in France and Germany. As well, Milan's situation...