Koninklijke Vereniging voor Nederlandse Muziekgeschiedenis

The Toccatas of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck

Author(s): Murray C. Bradshaw
Source: Tijdschrift van de Vereniging voor Nederlandse Muziekgeschiedenis, Deel 25, No. 2
(1975), pp. 38-60
Published by: Koninklijke Vereniging voor Nederlandse Muziekgeschiedenis
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/938876 .
Accessed: 20/06/2014 17:01

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Koninklijke Vereniging voor Nederlandse Muziekgeschiedenis is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize,

preserve and extend access to Tijdschrift van de Vereniging voor Nederlandse Muziekgeschiedenis.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 MurrayC. Bradshaw

THE TOCCATAS
OF JAN PIETERSZOON SWEELINCK

The toccatasof Sweelinck (1562-1621) forma substantial partofhisrepertoire,

equaltothe16chorale variations,13secular and18fantasias
variations, thatthiscom-
poserwrote,anddecidedly morethanthe5 <<echo > andsingle
fantasias ricercar
and
Sweelinck
prelude. wrote 12 toccatas
that
have survived, one thatisincomplete,and
twoclassifiedas operadubia.1The sheernumber revealstheirimportance in the
composer'screative output,asDickinsonnotedinhisdescription oftheLynar MS.2
Sweelinck'stoccatas arein somewaysdifficult workswithwhichto cometo
betraying
grips, a seemingly diverseamount ofstyles. Someareshort, somequite
long.A few have imitativesections, do
others not. Above all,many different
styles
seemtocometogether intheworksofSweelinck. BoththeItalian andspecifically
Venetianinfluencesarepresent, butsoforthatmatter istheEnglish schoolofByrd,
and
Bull, Philips.3 too,existed
Interaction, between themusicofSweelinck andthat
ofsouthern Germany.4 The poet-lawyer-musician Plemp,a friend ofthecom-
poser,wrotethatSweelinck's far-flungfamereached to theItalies,theBritons,
<(and,
O Orlando, wasknown inyour Bavarias
> -

Italostetigit
Cujusfama Brittanos,
salsosque
tuisnotus
Orlande,
Quique, eratBavaris.5

Sweelinck
Moreover, wasa craftsman
himself ofthefirst
order,onewhowouldnot
justmimickthe achievements
ofothercomposersbutwould bringhisowntalent
andimaginationtobearonwhateverkindofmusichechosetowrite.
I haverecently
too,thattheearlytoccatas,
suggested, thoseoftheVenetiansas wellas thoseby
arenotthefreeandimprovisatory
Sweelinck, kindofcompositionthattheyhave
foryearsbeenconsideredtobe,butareindeedcantusfirmus
pieces havetheir
that
rootsinvocalcompositions,
asdidother of
pieces theRenaissance.6

Sweelinck's toccatas:openings,imitativesections,
rhythm
Venetian moreoftenthannotbeginin a slowfashion,
toccatas themotiononly
graduallybecoming more This
active. is for
true of
seven pieces- L.I 5,
Sweelinck's
I8,21,23-25,and 3I; suchslowopenings or
may may not include
imitation.7 In
L.26thewholepieceisofonetexture unusual
(rather fora and
toccata, itleadsone to
believethisis merelypartofa largerworkwhichhasbeenlost) anddoesnotbegin
in a slow manner.Nor forthatmatterdo L.I6,I9,20,22,28 and* 3o*. As L.I6

38

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
reveals,themotionpicksup ratherquicklyat thebeginning, as it does in other
works.
Justas a slow beginning, exceptpossiblyforan initialchord,is nota consistent
traitofSweelinck'stoccatas,neither is thepresenceofimitative sections. Theseare
foundin mostofthepublishedVenetiantoccatas(thoseprinted between1591and
I6oi),8 but Sweelinckforhis partusesextensive imitative passagesonlyin three
works,L.15 (measures41-73), L.I6 (21-44), and L.17 (44-72). The othertwelve
toccatasdo not(L.18-26, L. 28whichisincomplete, and.L. 3o*and3
I*).9
His treatment oftheseimitative sections, whenhechoosestousethem,ismuchin
theVenetianmanner.The melodiesorsubjects arebrief,uniform indesign(usually
moving within the range of a fifthand with repeatednotes), simpleofrhythm.
and
They are seldom allowed to appear without somesortofaccompaniment and are
oftenpresented in strettofashion.Furthermore, thebeginnings and endsof such
imitative sections inSweelinckareverymuchliketheVenetians' inthattheyoverlap
withthevirtuososections.Venetiantoccatasare oftendescribed as sectionalcom-
positions, but the effectof such overlapping tends to make them continuousin
structure, as itdoesintheseexamplesby Sweelinck,despitethecontrast oftexture.
Sweelinck'saesthetic in
purpose introducing such sectionsinto his toccatas is very
muchwhatit was withVenetiancomposers- namely#toadd a different musical
textureto thewhole,to varythenumberof parts,to employa slowermelodic
rhythm(togetherwitha fasterharmonicrhythm),and,in short,to expandthe
breadthofa composition withoutrunning theriskoftediousness. )>10
Yet Sweelinckclearlyeschewedimitativesectionsinhistoccatas.Ithasrecently
beenshownthattheseparts,indeed,maywellhavebeenoptionalin theVenetian
toccatsthemselves,I" andMischiati hasnotedthatthepiecesintheTurincollections
are all dividedstrictly accordingto genera,so muchso <(thatthelong imitative
sectionsofthetoccatasweredetachedfromtheseand [someofthem]includedin
thevolumesVI and IX [whichcontaincontrapuntal forms].>12 Apparently not
eveninVenetiantoccatasweretheimitative sectionsconsidered a sinequanon.
But Sweelinck'sapparentreluctanceto use suchimitativesectionsin his own
workscannotbe accountedforbytheirdecidedlyoptionalnature.Itseemsobvious
thatSweelinckhad discovered a new meansof ?expandingthebreadthofa toccata
withoutrunning theriskoftediousness. ) The meansbywhichhe was ableto do so
was simplytheuseof <figurations > - a techniqueapparently derivedmostdirectly
fromtheEnglish, a
butusedto certain extentbyItaliansandNetherlanders as wellas
Spanishcomposers.13 In thehandsofSweelinck, andwithparticular reference tohis
toccatas, itbecamea splendidmeansofmusicalrhetoric, onewhichno composer had
quite used before or forthat matter after,at leastin this
particular genre.
In placeof an alternation ofvirtuosopassagesand imitative sections,Sweelinck
substituted a seriesofdiscreet musicalideas.Allseemtogrowoutofoneanother and
yetall forma unifiedwhole.14 A quickanalysisofL. 20 willshowhisapproach(and
it will be worthwhileto give the entirepiece as an exampleforit can serveto

39

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
illustrate
othertechniquesofSweelinck). musical
atleast28 separate
Briefly, ideas
(perhaps or
more, less,depending on thelisterner'sjudgment) in
appear course
the
ofthe97-98measures ofL.20, allgrowing ina seemingly wayoutofthe
inevitable
onewhichpreceded it.(Eachideais indicated bya smallRomannumeral.) The
beautyof sucha pieceliesinits of
plasticitydesign,the freedom andspontaneous
developmentwithwhichthecomposer movesfrom oneideatothenext.
EXAMPLE I (seep. 51)
The beautyderives, too,fromthefecundrhythmical thoughtofSweelinck, a char-
thatcanhardlybe overestimated.
acteristic The richcontrastofideas,whether itbe
thesixteenth-note figuresin measure12 thatarefirst
accompaniedby whole notes,
then(in measure19) byhalfnotes,in measure22 by singlequarternotes(at least
thatistheeffect),inmeasure26byblockquarter- notechords, andfinally inmeasure
32 byeighthnotes,or whetheritbe thetriplet ofmeasure45, or thedotted
figures
rhythms of measure 75, or the more complicatedgroupingsof measure86 - all
reveala deepfundofrhythmic andvariety.
vitality Workingwithsucha multitude
ofrhythms, Sweelinckwas able to writelengthy toccatasandat thesametimeex-
presshimself in succinctmusicalterms.
Mostof Sweelinck'ssurviving toccatasfollowthepattern ofL. zojust described
- theseincludeL.18to 25 andtheopera dubiaofL.30* and31*; L. 26 is quiteshortand
L. 28 incomplete.

Figuration,texture,phrasing
In theirway his toccatas are similarto those of Merulo (I 533-1604), whose com-
positionsSweelinckmaywellhaveknownsincebothvolumesofMerulo'stoccatas
werepublishedaround16oo.Merulo,too,workedwithdiscreet musicalideas,but
differences betweenthetwo composersareobvious.Sweelinck'sideas,becauseof
theirfrequent triadicnature,theirstrongmetricsense,andgenerally clearoutlines
are moreassertive. The Italianfavoreda moreintegralapproach.One idea flows
intothenext,and differences The contrastof ideasis subtleand
are not stressed.
lessobvious,andthestructure seemingly amorphous withtheedgesso smoothedout
thatit is almostpostfactoone realizesa new idea hastakenover.Sweelinckon the
otherhandisfarmoreclearcutanddefinite inhischoiceofmusicalideas.15
He prefersrepeatedchords,triadicfiguresand leaps,written-outtrillsoften
beginningwiththeuppernote,a quicktonic-dominant alternationin thelower
voice,snatches ofimitation permeating thetexture, sixteenth-notepatterns alter-
nating between theright and left of
hand,repetition rhythmic and
patterns figura-
tions,theuseof <zigzag> patterns,anda rapidalternation ofchordtonesora tremolo
or therapidrepetition of one note.1 Yet althoughL. 20 (Ex.I above) revealsan
almostexclusiveuseofsuchfigures, manyofSweelinck'stoccatasshowa combina-
tionof whatmightbe calledItalianand Englishfeatures. L.I7 startsout in Italian

40

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
fashion,
thoughthebrief ofcanonandthebroken
snatches thirds
atmeasure22are
hisowntrademark.Scalefigures
areItalian
buttheir thatismaking
repetition, them
isEnglish
intofigurations, (asat72-76).OtherEnglish
features at81-83,
dominate
84-90, 90-91 (a ?zigzag,) pattern), 92-94 (repetition of ideas), 95-96 (triadic
97-1o6(brroken
figures), thirds
andchords).Theending fromio8 on combines
bothfeatures,
scalelinesaswellasbroken andbrief
triads snatchesofimitation.
of
Thenumber parts, too,thatthecomposer chooses
to useisnotuniform.In
L.2o (Ex.I above),measures 1-21, 26-31 (for themostpart),44 (cadential
in
65-68andthelastfewmeasures
function), areinfourparts.As a contrast,
three-
partwritingoccursin measures22-25, 32-43, 45-49, 5I-60, 69-89 (whereit
intoa four-part
merges Evena fewmonophonic
texture). breakup the
passages
texture(49-50, 61-64). Two-partwritingdoesnotoccurmuchin L. 20 (onlyat
measures 93-94andnowandtheninpassing).
Thisinterplayoftextures,
ofdifferent
numbers ofparts,
isimmensely important
in Sweelinck'smusical
thought. he
Generally opens witha thickfour-parttexture
(L.22 starts
withfive and
notes) proceeds to alternatethinner sections
three-part
withthicker ones,inserting
four-part nowandthentwo-part Thereare
passages.
exceptions.Thewriting inL. 23,forinstance,
is inthreepartsthroughout; two-
partandone-part occuronlynowandthen.l1
passages
Cadencesareby-and-large overlappingones,so thatas oneideaendsanother
Such
begins. endings-and-beginnings,ofwhicharenotatalldecisive
most because
oftheconstant rhythmicand melodicflow,occur his
throughout toccatas andadd
greatlytotheforward motion ofthemusic.Sweelinck's phrases,too,arenotonly
asymmetrical butmayattimes beeither
quitelong(as measures 49-61ofL.20) or
quiteshort(as measures
45-49). Thewhole musical thought shows variety
great of
invention.

Harmony, embellishment, andtonality

Thisinterplayofdifferent
musical ideas,rhythms, andphrases
textures, areoften
mentionedindiscussing
Sweelinck's but
toccatas, perhaps notasoften astheyshould
be whentheir to the
importance composer's musical
languageis considered. Even
lessfrequentlymentionedis hishandling oftonalityandharmony, another im-
portantaspectofhisstyle.In therather briefL.26,forinstance, Sweelinck limits
himselfonlyto thethreeprimary triads,I, IV, andV (onesecondary dominant
and
appears), if Roman numerals were tobe placedunderthemusic itwould appear
tobecompletely anddecisivelyinG major.Yetdespite suchstrong rootmovement,
boththelackofa keysignature andthefrequent F-naturalsmarktheworkas
clearly
Mixolydian.Thefunctional harmonies, though,arestriking.
Measures4 and5 ofthisworkarequiteawkward. Theparallel fifthsinthetwo
lower voices and the exposedoctavesare highlyunusualfor Sweelinck.If the
English-typeornament on theF-sharpindicated
somekindofSchleifer
orslide,the

41

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
passagewouldgaininfluency. As Curtishaspointedout,ornaments oftheEnglish
variety, either double or singlestrokes, occur in of
many theSweelinckMSSs1and
it is likely,perhapsnecessary, thatsuchornaments shouldbe addedto all of Swee-
linck'scompositions. Bothsignshavedifferent meanings indifferent contexts, or at
least standfor severaldifferent ornaments, and could be interpreted freelyas
mordentsor trills19 (beginning on either the upper note or on the main one -
Sweelinckwroteboth).
L. 26, despiteits<<functional)> harmonies is an anomalysinceit definitely liesin
the Mixolydianmode. L.2o, though,is clearlyin C major (see Ex.I above).
Especiallystriking is therootmovementdownbyfifths (witheachchordactingas
dominantto thenext)in measures20-22; a similarharmonicsequenceoccursin
measures54-56. Root movementaroundthecircleof fifths is quitecommonin
-
Sweelinck'stoccatas20 suchas in L.I9 (measures50-55, 73-81, 85-88), L.22
(51-54), L.23 (38-43), L.24 (26-33).
Notable,too, is theway Sweelinckbalancesharmonicactivitywithharmonic
repose.The openingsix measuresof L. 20 have onlythreechordchanges- I, IV,
and V. The nextfivepresenta fargreaterrhythmical activityand an increasing
harmonicactivity, althoughmanychordsarepassingones.Frommeasures12 to 18
the harmonicrhythmis again relaxedwithonly a few chordalchanges.From
measure19 on, though,it graduallypicksup fromtwo to fourchordsa measures,
relaxesjust a bitatmeasures 28- 31,butresumes a rather feverish activityatmeasure
32 (eight harmonic a
changes bar). At measure 36 thisactivity comes to a decisive
end.
Sweelinckiswellawareofthisaesthetic balanceofharmonicactivity andrepose,
andneverswingstoo farin one direction ortheother.In L. 20, forinstance, periods
of relativelyquick harmonicmotionoccur at measures45-49 (answeredby a
period of slower motionfrom49-53), 54-60 (answeredby 61-67), 67-70
(answeredby 71-78), 79-81 (answeredby 82), 83-92 (ratheragonizingmeasures
fromthe rhythmical pointof view) whichare answeredby 93-97, markedby
sweeping scales and and a simpleharmonicrhythm.Sweelinckinevitably
trills
endseverytoccatawithsuchsweepingscalelines,trills,or some otherdecisive
melodicpattern,along with a slow, simpleharmonicrhythm.The rhythmic-
melodicpatterns at thesefinalendingsmayvary,buttheharmonicplanis always
simple.Even in the brieftoccataL.26, the harmonicrhythmchangestwice a
measureforbars17-20 (at leastthechordpositionchanges),butsettlesdown to
oncea measureor onceforeverytwo measures intheremaining bars.
Although L. 20 is clearly in C major,L.19 shows an interesting playbetweenC
andF major.21 The central part ofthepiece essentially major(a few((modal#
is in C
progressions -
occur notablyin measures15-16, 29-30), and theturnto F major
at thebeginning (measures6-I I) isbalancedbyoneat theendofthepiece(87-94;
as
B-flats, musicaficta, couldbe addedat90-91):

42

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 5 10
I > I _
C: I V I V C: IV C: V V/V V V/V
F: I V I V F: V/V

15

I IV I

73 75 80 85

C: V I IV I V II V/II V/VV

90 95 100
J
I JI ? I - I
C: I IV C: II V I IV I IV
F: VI IV I V F: VI

<Tonality >isusuallythought ofinterms ofmajorandminor. Yetitmayalsomean

themereestablishment ofa tonalcenter,
thetonalityofC andA,forinstance, with-
outregard totheparticularmodeinvolved. Thisoccursina fewofthetoccatas of
Sweelinck thatareneither nor
major minor, butin which a clear
playingoff ofone
tonalareaagainstanother takesplace.L.17isanexample ofthis.Inthispiecethere is
a contrast
between thetonalitiesofA andC, andwhatmight atfirst
glanceappear
tobea <<modal > dominant, thatisa dominant withlowered functions
third, infact
> chord,movingthetonality
as a kindof <<pivot fromoneleveltoanother. Such
tonalchanges occurin thispieceatmeasures7,23,31,39,73,78,83,Ioo,102, and io8
(wherethetonality is atlastfinanlized).
Theopening measures ofL.17might be
analyzedasfollows:

5 10 15
QMI9M 1M1
M1 9 &4I I
A: I V IV VI I A:V VII
C: III V II IV I V I IV I

20 25 30

A: A: IV V/IVV/VII IV I V V/IV
C: II IV I V IV VIIIIC:.II VI V/V

35 40
A: IV A: IV V VI IV6
C:II V I VI I IV I V C:II

43

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
The ?modal, dominantin measure7 and thesubtonicchordin measure8 arenot
really#modal>>harmonies; theysignifythata tonalchangehastakenplace.
WernerBriegmentions thatusinga wordsuchas <<modulation #seemsinadequate
formusicwrittenaroundI6oo. AlthoughI have avoidedusingthisterm,thisis
exactlywhatdoes happenin manyof Sweelinck'stoccatas,as theabove analyses
have shown.Indeed,a clearawarenessof shifting tonal centersis by no means
limitedto Sweelinck'stoccatasbut was usedby manyItaliancomposersof such
pieces.22 #inkeyboardpieceswritten
In short,thepracticeof ?<modulations ca. 600oo
is notconfinedto Sweelinck.
In suchcompositions, though,theverymootquestionmaybe askedas to what
the
guides composer inhischoiceofharmonies ? Recentlyanideahasbeenputforth
thatthe guidingprinciplein manyearlykeyboardtoccatas,includingthoseof
Sweelinck,has beena Gregoriancantusfirmus. To say,then,as Dickinsondoes in
one place,that<thetoccatasseemnow documentsin volubility...thesenseof a
structure beingconfinedto a waywardseriesofharmonicprogressions >>is at best
Not
unconvincing.23 only did as
Sweelinck, manycontemporaries, hispieces
base
on a solidsenseoftonalunityandcontrol,buthe alsofoundedthem,as didalmost
all of thefirstcomposersoflate16th-century toccatas,on psalmtonecantusfirmi.

Cantus firmusstructure
In thelate15thcentury, musicians beganto takethesimpleandancientGregorian
psalmtones and setthem in four-part writing, mostlikelyintended to be sungbya
chorus.Theseworkssoon becameknownasfalsobordoni, and despitethe obvious
relationto thetermfauxbourdon, theywereverydifferent fromthatoldergenre.24
The idea of settingtheseancientpsalmtonesin four-part harmonypersisted well
intothei6thcentury, and as withso manyotherRenaissance vocal compositions,
theyweresoon adaptedto thekeyboard.Suchexamplesbeganto appeararound
155o and theysoon becamequite ornatepieceswiththetwo partdivision,the
parallelismus membrorum oftheold psalmtones,almostcompletely hidden.The idea
of usingtheancientGregoriantonesforsuchintroductory compositions as the
intonation and toccatamusthaveoriginated in thekeyboardfalsobordone.25
Moretothepointisthecontention thatSweelinck's toccatasaresimilarlyfounded
on psalmtonecantusfirmi, thatthey as the Venetian intonations and toccatashave
?invisible >>cantusfirmi
>>or ?<ideal notpresent in longnotesor evenaudiblypresent
at all,butnonetheless functioning as the structuralforcein histoccatasas it did in
thoseoftheVenetians'.26
L. 25 (in C major)is a clearexampleofpsalmtoneV transposed downa fourth.
In the followingexample(2) the <<ideal>>psalm tone melody which guidedSwee-
linckinhiscomposition ofthisworkisgiven,placedabove the music ofthetoccata
itself.Romannumeralsindicatethenumberof timesthepsalmtonewas usedby
Sweelinck.The composeroccasionallyaltersthe borrowedmelodyby using

44

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
accidentalsor by addinga few passingnotes(the latterindicatedby brackets).
Becauseoftheutterclarityand importanceoftechnique, theentirepieceis given.
EXAMPLE 2 (seep.54)
L. 24isbasedon theidealcantusfirmus
oftoneIV. NotethatinthemiddleSweelinck
repeatsthe mediant cadenceof thepsalmtone,a notunusualfeaturesinceItalian
composersthemselves oftenrepeatedfragmentsof theborrowedmelodyin their
toccatas.In thisandin followingexamplesonlythe<(ideal> psalmtonesaregiven;
the toccatasare readilyavailablein Leonhardt'seditionand thesemelodiescan
easilybe superimposed on them.
EXAMPLE 3 (seep. 56)
L. 20 (Ex. I above) is basedon theidealcantusfirmus
of toneV transposed down a
fourth(as in L. 25). Fourteen(!) different of
presentations psalm tone V occur,
practically all ofwhich arelinkedby a chordbuiltaround F a
(indicatedby paren-
thesis).
EXAMPLE 4 (seep.57)
L.22 followsthepsalmtoneof toneII transposed up a fourth,
as it usuallywas
aroundI6oo. Sweelinckbeginsbypresenting thefinalcadenceanditsrecitingnote
two times,thenpresents theentirecantusfirmus
fivetimes,repeatingfrommeasure
51 on thefinalcadencea numberoftimes.
EXAMPLE 5 (seep.57)
L. 26 is basedon psalmtoneVIII. Sweelinckusesonlythemediantcadence(d-c)
forhismaterial.This maywell accountforthelimitedharmonyof thepiece.He
presents this?middle> cadenceseventimes,soundingthefinalnoteofthemode,G,
at theveryend.
EXAMPLE 6 (seep.58)
A fewmoreexamplesmightbe given.The following<(borrowed ? psalmtonesare
to be used as (<ideal)>cantus for
firmi the corresponding in Leonhardt's
toccatas
edition.
EXAMPLE 7 (seep. 58)
Sweelinck, inshort,
waswellawareoftheVenetianstructure. Itisnotjustthetaking
overof Italianstyletraitsand linkingthemto northern figurationsthatmakeshis
toccatasuniquein thehistory ofthegenre.It is ratherhistakingoverofVenetian
structural foundedon thefalsobordone
principles, andtheancientpsalmtones,and
weddingthisto a seriesof vital,drivingfigurations thatmake his worksquite
differentthananyoneelse's.Sweelinckwas amongthelastcomposersto use the
cantusfirmusprinciplein histoccatas,althoughFroberger was also to makeuse of

45

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 andhisalmost
it,27 tenacious
adherence
toitisanother
closelinkbetween
Sweelinck
Itisa tieasstrong
musicofthelateI6thcentury.
andItalian asthatbetween
Swee-
linckandEnglish
composers.

Historicalsetting
Aroundi6oothetoccata hadbecomea mostimportant kindofcomposition, and
wastoremain soforatleastanothercentury.Itwascultivated -
inmanylands Italy,
andGermany
Austria, - anditstraitsweretakenup intotheimportant Spanish
Morethanthat,
tiento.28 numerous kindsoftoccataswerebeingusedatthetimeof
Sweelinck - thetoccatainmodo kindofpiece);29thetoccata
(a fanfare
ditrombetto
durezzee legature
(a slowlymoving chromatic pieceoftenwithsomeimitative
thenumerous
writing; tientos ofSpanish
defalsas likeAguilera
composers andJuan
arenothing
Cabanilles butchromatic theVenetian
toccatas);30 ofcomposers
toccata
likeAnnibale Padovano, Andrea ClaudioMerulo,andmanyothers;
Gabrieli, the
publishedin 1615and 1627and in theFiorimusicali
toccatasofFrescobaldi of 1635
(worksin whichthestructure is by andlargeone of dramatically contrasting
andtheNeapolitan
sections); toccatas
(whichappeared inMayone's second publica-
tionof 1609andwhichhavegreater varietyin texture,harmony, rhythm,and
structure Ventian
thanearlier works).31
Thetoccatas ofSweelinckarepartofthispicture,too,uniqueintheir ownway
buthavingmuchincommon withotherworks.Thecantusfirmus the
technique,
general and
approach structure, some of themelodic idioms, and the itself
genre
weretakenfromtheVenetians. Theimportant figurations, inonesensethevery
backbone weretakenoverfrom
ofhisstyle, northerncomposers. Butthewelding
togetherof these is
elements Sweelinck'sown contribution,asishisfreedom inusing
ornotusinga slowdignified and
opening, the or
keeping abandoning ofimitative
sections.32
Ifonehadtodefine a toccatabySweelinck itmight beintheseterms - a keyboard
piecemadeup ofdifferent withcontrasting
sections number ofparts(although
a4
essentially anda3), with extensiveuse of figurations, oftenbuilton an
and
) cantus
<(ideal firmus.They are not((formal# in intorigid,
thesenseoffalling pre-
determinated schemes.The formis quiteloose.It is,in Noske'saptexpression,
formaformans (formbecoming form,a timestructure) ratherthanforma formata
(form already formed,a spacestructure).33
Somefinalquestions remain. Arethetoccatas chiefly ororganmusic?34
clavier
Theanswer isthattheywereprobably intended foreitherinstrument.Therangeof
mosttoccatas isfromlowC orD uptoa2-L. 26and3I1*reachg2andf2respectively,
L.22and28*go downtoF,L.24,25,and26downtoG - andthough someargue
thattherangeoftheorganintheOudeKerkwasonlyF-a2, thisis a
nonetheless
muchdebatedpoint;35theinstrument mayhave gone lower. Sweelinck'sharp-
sichordprobablyhad a rangefromC to c3,Second,a few<unorganisticpatterns

46

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
appear,suchas theparallelthirds in L. 20 (measure43) andtheawkwardpassageat
83-84 (see Ex. I above), or in L.17 (measures85-86) wheresomenotescouldnot
be sustained in an organperformance, butsuchpassagesarerare.Finally,although
famousas a harpsichordist, Sweelinckwas equallyrenownedas an experton the
organ,one who was apparently calledon to passjudgmenton different instru-
and
ments,36 one whosecenter of life,as Tuslerpointsout, was the <<
Old Church >.37
The dutiesof an organist-harpsichordist in thosedays were numerousand
demanding. As organistSweelinckwouldhavehadto playeverysermondayboth
and
morning evening<<before andafterthesermon?andalsoto playvariations on
thepsalmsabouttobe sungbythecongregation. Suchorganmusicwastheoretically
notconsidered partoftheservice, butas Curtissays<<amunicipalrecitalwhichjust
<happened>to be temporarily adjacentto the churchservice. Bruinsmahas
38
described in somedetailthisparadoxof ?greatorgansin thechurches, playedby
paid full-time but
organists, not approvedby the Church nor used forthewor-
ship services of the Church. As
039 harpsichordist, too, Sweelinck had to play at
banquets and other municipal entertainments. In he
short, may well have played
histoccatason theorgan as preludeor postludeto the sermon,or the service
itself,or on the harpsichord at one of the manyfunctionswhere he provided
the entertainment.
Iftheywereperformed on organ,andtheOld Churchhada Niehoff instrument,
thesoundwouldhavebeen <<vigorous, intensiveandclear,yetagreeable,sonorous
and notsharp.~>40It wouldnotbe thebrilliant, overwhelming one typicaloflater
northGermanBaroqueorgans,a massiveeffect perfectly suitableforthetoccatasof
Reincken,Buxtehude,and Bach, but totallyout of place for thesepieces by
Sweelinck.
As withmostof Sweelinck'skeyboardmusic,thetoccatasstemfromthelast15
or 20 yearsof hislife,sincemuchof it was preserved by hisstudents.41 L. 24, for
instance, occursin a MS written in 1618,a definite butnonetoo valuableterminus
antequemrn; thesameappliestotwoothertoccatasthathavedates,L. 16witha terminus
antequemof1612,andL.19 before1617.42
Curiouslyenough,althoughSweelinckwas cuminvitaturnm inmorte omnibus suspi-
ciendus,few of hisstudentschose to take up thetoccata.Scheidtwroteonlythree,
which?followthepatternofhisteachernotonlyin stylebutin structure, ? and a
ratherpeculiarone <<super In te,Domine,speravi. ~43The tradition oftoccatawriting
in northern Europe seems to have a and
skipped generation, by timeofWeck-
the
mann and Buxtehudeotherinfluences had come to bear on such pieces.But
Sweelinckhad madehismarkin hisown toccatas.The genrewas forhima perfect
expression ofhisownmusicalthought.

I. All numbersfollow Leonhardt's(L.) editionof 1968 (Vereniging voorNederlandse

as there,an asterisk
Muziekgeschiedenis); indicates
operadubiaor incomplete
works.

47

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
2. TheLiibbenau Keyboard Books - A FurtherNoteonFaceless inTheMusicReview
Features,
XXVII (1966).Thisimportant MS, knownas LynarA I, hasbeencatalogued by
Dickinson, A Forgotten Collection,in The MusicReviewXVII (1956),Ioo; Lydia
Schierning, Die Uberlieferung derdeutschenOrgel-undKlaviermusik ausder1.HIdfte des
17.Jahrhunderts(Kassel,196I), 66-70; Werner Brieg,Die LiibbenauerTabulaturenLynar
A 1 undA 2,inAfMwXXV (1968),102.
3. Nothing, asidefromSweelinck's influenceasa teacher,hascalledforth sucha massof
criticalobservationasthevarious influencesonthecomposer's style.FromMaxSeiffert -
J.P. Sweelinckundseine direktendeutschen inVfMwVII (1891),145-240;Uber
Schiiler,
Sweelinck undseinendeutschen inTVNM IV (1892),I-I6;Geschichte
Schiiler, derKlavier-
musik,I (1899),76,82- toLeoSchrade, EinBeitragzurGeschichte
derTokkata, inZfMw
VIII (1926),626-627,andErichValentin, Die EntwicklungderTokkata im17.und18.
Jahrhunderts(bisJ.S. Bach)(Miinster,193o), 47-48,as wellas morerecent authorslike
Alfred Voigts,Die Toccaten an Pieterszoon zur
einBeitrag friihen
Sweelincks, Instrumental-
musik (diss.,Miinster,1955), 14-16,Margarete Reimann, Zur Deutung desBegriffs
Fantasia,inAfMwX (1953),266,John Henry vander Meer, TheKeyboard inthe
Works
Vienna BullManuscript, in TVNM XVIII (1957),89,RobertL.Tusler,TheOrgan
Musicof an Pieterszoon Sweelinck (Bilthoven,1958),52, WilliApel,Geschichte der
Orgel- und Klaviermusik bis17oo (Kassel,I967),325, Alan Curtis,Sweelinck's Keyboard
Music(Leiden,1969), 85,andmanyothers.
4. Schierning,Die Uberlieferung derdeutschenOrgel-undKlaviermusikausder. Hiilftedes17.
Jahrhunderts(Kassel,I96I), 49.The two operadubia,furthermore,are inone or another
MS ascribed to thetwoHassler brothers.
5. Quotedby H.Tiedeman,Bouwsteenen tweedeJaarboek derVereeniging voorNoord-
(1872-1874),151, by Max Seiffert,
Muziekgeschiedenis
Nederlands J.P. Sweelinck
und
deutschen
seinedirekten in VfMw(1891),154,byRandallH.Tollefsen
Schiiler, (with
translation),
Jan A Bio-Bibliography,
Pietersz.Sweelinck. in TVNM, XXII (1971),
93-94and n.3I, andbyothers.
iI8 ([Rome],1972). Individual toccatasbySweelinck
6. Bradshaw, TheOrigin oftheToccata
havebeenanalyzed by B. vanden Sigtenhorst Meyer,Jan P. SweelinckenzijnInstrumen-
taleMuziek(Den Haag,1946), 167-175(L.24/S.29andL.16/S.2I), Tusler,TheOrgan
MusicofJan PieterszoonSweelinck(Bilthoven,I958),68-71(L.17/S.22),Alfred Voigts,
Die ToccatenJanPietersz. Sweelincks (UniversityofMiinster,1955), 18-33 (L.I6 or
S.15intheoldedition 1894),andWilliApel,Geschichte
ofSeiffert, derOrgel- undKlavier-
musikbis17oo(Kassel,1967),325-326(L.I5/S.2o).
7. Voigtsdiscussestheopenings to thevarious toccatasofSweelinck (hisnumbering is
basedon the old1894 editionof them
dividing upessentially
Seiffert's), intotwo types
- chordalorimitative;seeDie ToccatenJan Pieterszoon
Sweelincks,
52.
8. The firstVenetian toccatasappeared in an editionof 1591by Sperindio Bertoldo.
Toccatasby Andrea Gabrieli(d.1586) were publishedin 1593,andDiruta's I1 Transil-
vanoI (1593)included toccatasbymanycomposers. Merulo'sfirst
volume appearedin
1598,hissecond in1604. Annibale Padovano's also
toccatas appeared in1604 (thecom-
poserhaddiedin1575,though). Forfurther information,seeTheOrigin oftheToccata,
14-I5.
9. In 1895Max Seiffert
distinguished * and
between<(Fugen-Toccata ,;
(<Figuren-Toccata
seeZu BandIderWerke JanPieterszn. inTVNM V (1895),I. Other
Sweelinck's, authors

48

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 havenotedthatsomehaveandothers
do nothaveimitative see,forinstance.
sections;
Gotthold Geschichte
Frotscher, undderOrgelkomposition
desOrgelspiels 1935- 36),
(Berlin,
284.
io. TheOriginoftheToccata,45.
I I.TheOriginoftheToccata,45-46, n.20.
L'Intavolatura
12. Mischiati, tedesca
d'organo Nazionaledi Torino- Catalogo
dellaBiblioteca
inL'OrganoIV (1963),154.As thetitleofhisarticleindicates,
ragionato, Mischiatigives
thecompletecontentsofthisimportant collectionof16volumes(23 -118).
13. See Seiffert,
Geschichte
derKlaviermusik zur
(Leipzig,1899), 75; Schrade,Ein Beitrag
GeschichtederTokkata, in ZfMw VIII (1926),628; Tusler,TheOrganMusicofJan
PieterszoonSweelinck (Bilthoven, 1958),52;Apel,Geschichte derOrgel-undKlaviermusik
1967),325;
(Kassel, Curtisthinks theDutch were more influencedatfirst
bytheItalians
until#this balancechanged radically with the arrival of Sweelinck (and ofEnglish
musicians) ?>;seeSweelinck's Music
Keyboard (Leiden, 1969),45.
14. Tuslernoteschowonedisplay sectioncomestoitsconclusion andleadsdirectlyintothe
next, andthatthe#striking rhythmic varietymakes possiblethesuccessionof display
sections.
* See,TheOrgan MusicofJan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, 69-70.
15. Foranother contrast between a toccataby Sweelinck andonebyMerulo,seeTusler,
TheOrgan Musicof JanPieterszoon Sweelinck, 68-70.
16. SeeCurtis, Sweelinck'sKeyboard Music.
17. Werner Briegpoints outthata freeexchange between two-part andthree-part writing
is common in Sweelinck's toccatas,butnotatallso inhischorale seeDer
variations;
Umfang deschoralgebundenen Orgelwerks vonJanPieterszo[o]n Sweelinck,in AfMw
XVII (1960),261.
18. Curtis,Sweelinck's Keyboard Music, 205.
19. Robert Donington, TheInterpretation ofEarlyMusic(New York,1962),154;Curtis,
Sweelinck'sKeyboard Music, 208.
20. Voigts,Die ToccatenJan Pieterszoon Sweelinck,71.
21. Voigts,in Die Toccaten an Pieterszoon Sweelinck, 70,saysthatL. 19movesthrough the
keysofC, F G, andC major;further ontonality seeSeiffert, P.
J. Sweelinckund seine
direkten
deutschen inVfMwVII (1891),184ff.
Schiiler,
22. A study bytheauthor, TonalDesign intheVenetian IntonationandToccata,inTheMusic
Review, XXXV/2 (August,1974), Iolff.,shows that Venetian composers builtup
theirpiecesinexactly thesamewayas Sweelinck did.Briegbriefly #modula-
discusses
tion>inDie Liibbenauer Tabulaturen Lynar Al undA2, in AfMwXXV (1968),225.
23. A Forgotten inTheMusicReviewXVII (1956),104.
Collection,
24. Bradshaw, TheHistory oftheFalsobordone from ItsOrigins to175o(Ph.D.diss.,The
of
UniversityChicago,1969),37-38. Thisstudy issoon tobe publishedbyTheAmeri-
canInstitute ofMusicology, Rome.
25. SeeBradshaw, TheOrigin oftheToccata, 19-24 etpassim.
26. TheOrigin of the Toccata,
67-69.
27. TheOrigin oftheToccata, 79-81.
28. SeeKastner, Contribuci6nal dela musica
estudio espanola yportuguesa(Lisbon,1941),184,
186-187,andthesameauthor's introduction to Coelho'sFlores demusica,I (Lisbon,
1959),xxvi.
29. Foranexample, seeMonumenta Musicae BelgicaeIV (Amsterdam, 1938),67-68.

49

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
30. Bradshaw, JuanCabanilles:TheToccatas andTientos,inMQ LIX (1973),292and296.
31. TheOrigin the
of Toccata, 77.
32. ErichValentin,inDie Entwicklung derTokkata im17.und18.Jahrhundert (bisJ.S. Bach),
47, that
states <with...Sweelinck a new epochbegins inclavier andorganmusic.
33. Forma Formans(Amsterdam, 1969), 43 -44,etpassim.
34. Fora discussionof media,seeTusler,StyleDifferences intheOrganandClavicembalo
WorksofJan Pieterszoon
Sweelinck, in TVNM XVIII (1959),149-166; FritsNoske,
Sweelinck's
KeyboardMusic:Organ orHarpsichord?,inTVNM XIX (196o-61),80-83;
Noske,Sweelinck naviereeuwen, inTVNM XIX (1962-63),125-130;A.vanGool,
OnceMore:Sweelinck'sKeyboard Music:Organ orHarpsichord? inTVNM XIX (1962-
63),203-204.
35. Sweelinck's
Keyboard Music,179;Maarten A.Vente, Die Brabanter Orgel(Amsterdam,
1958),73,givesthelowestnoteasF,butPeterWilliams, TheEuropean Organ 145o-185o
(London, 1966),32,givesthelowest pitchforthethree manuals asFF,C andF respec-
which
tively, means toccatas
these couldhavebeenplayed onit.
36. On Sweelinckas see
<Orgelkenner Vente, Die Brabanter Orgel,176-179and219;
J.H.D.Bol,Sweelinckiana,in TVNM XVII, I58-16o; Vente Sweelincks
Orgelreisen,
in TVNM XXII (1971),126-137.
37. Tusler,MasterJanPieterszoon Sweelinck,Phoenix ofMusic,inDeltaII (1959-60),74.
38. Sweelinck's
KeyboardMusic, 7,n.I.
39. HenryA.Bruinsma, TheOrganControversy intheNetherlands Reformationto164o,in
JAMSVII (1954), 205.
Sweelinck's
40. Curtis, Keyboard Music,179;seealsoTusler, TheOrgan MusicofJan Pieters-
zoonSweelinck,30,andVente, Die Brabanter
Orgel,138.
Sweelinck's
41. Curtis, Keyboard Music, 93.
42. ForthesedatesseeCurtis,Sweelinck'sKeyboardMusic,89-91.
43. TheOrigin oftheToccata,69.Forfurther informationon Sweelinck's pupils,seeA.G.
Zur
Ritter, des
Geschichte (Leipzig,
Orgelspiels 1884),174-176;Seiffert,J.P.Sweelinck
undseine deutschen
direkten inVfMw(1891),145-240;Seiffert,
Schiiler, UberSweelinck
undseinen deutschen in TVNM IV (1892),1-16; Seiffert,
Schiiler, SweelinckianaV,
TVNMX (1915),30-32;Seiffert, inTVNM XI (1924),127;
NeueSweelinck-Schiiler,
VI,inTVNM XII (1928),102-103;Liselotte
Sweelinckiana
Seiffert, Kruiger,DieHam-
im XVII
Musikorganisation Jahrhundert
burgische 1933),
(Leipzig, 142-154; Frotscher,
Geschichte undderOrgelkomposition
desOrgelspiels (Berlin,1935-36), 277,386,409,411-
412,414,418,422,424,435;H.J.MoserandF.Piersig, NeueSchiller desJanPieterszoon
inTVNM XV (1929), 47-5I; Chr.C.Vlam,Sweelinckiana,
Sweelinck, in TVNM
XVIII (1959),37-42;Vente, inTVNM XIX (1962-63),186-191.
Sweelinckiana,
Inconclusion,theauthorwishes topersonallythankProfessorRobert L.Tusler ofthe
University LosAngeles.
ofCalifornia, Itishewho first this
suggested topic ofa detailed
studyoftheSweelinck whokindly
toccatas, readthrough andthoughtfully criticized
theintitial
writingsof this and
article, who constantlyencouraged the author inhis
andresearch.
studies

So

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
EXAMPLE I. ToccataL.20

z . ,,3 ia
MMIM-":- ;i " gi
,.. _ _ ::_-.

7
(pr

I il. .. 1 I
I W
i -- l- I-

II 1P ni-il-iH -

F
lkF = H
" .. . ...
_W......
St

(IV)

9
mirIr-4i '
.. ..v 0'
i"I" "
- ro""dM... ...

!
w r?-AV r?M K i l

.. . . . . .. N--W" ' ?
MI-E . . ' , , ', - :- ,

22 (V)

5I

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
28
w
he ,-4w I=_-- _..
--
(VII) (Vm) (I)

33 i_

(x)
IS

39
39

46

Q) mlo 6 11111111
)(XII)Lo '
,6 J
umIi......"W bw-
b-- (,,j,
-I I I wl
- .BM, --.1

52
P110

" "- (m~v)

: ,. - ' . -
.. [ .. ..,_,I _, I- - '_

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 S(XVI)

61
I
(XV
II).

--

76

Sy(XXIV)

xu
HO(w- :

bm &JIM
79

53

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 82

A90

I t
oi a I I
,
I
,

94

IN

EXAMPLE2. Toccata L. 25 with <<ideal*cantus firmusof tone V

F rl ' ' C'L..T

..

qy-F
hu

0
r4r

54

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 II7
'-- ,w ,.i i i

,,

17
.? ,r r---..
,

IIII
21

TV

W5
2r

T
-o.
1 F lo! 1 1
,

_l-4-

-: i_, , , i
.9
33- , L '

.....r
Iio

!P_ 6:1r

_ C5

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 1J
AV
t [incomplete]
1 J 1 I

Para

I
rr-"
p.i 1 I j

EXAMPLE 3. Toccata L.24, <ieal> cantus firmus,tone IV

-49
-O r.9 El

toII15 1
AI 20 [Mediantrepeated] 25

A 30o35

40 45 50

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
EXAMPLE 4. Toccata L.20, tideal*cantusfirmus,
toneV
5

10 II 15

20 III 25 IV

I .
FL l i i
V 30

35 VI 40 VII

45 [Mediant repeated] 50

VIII 55 IX 60

III I

65 X

70 XI 75 XII

80 85 XIII
JIJP J
.
Il- I.. !- I

y [Repetition] 95
S90XIV

IJ J IW I-
aI 1 I
,1 /

EXAMPLE 5. Toccata L.22, <ideal, cantusfirmus,

toneII
Final cadence presentedtwice 5 10 I

n
15 | 20

57

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 25 III 0

35 IV 40 V 45

o Finalcadencerepeated
severaltimes 5
_

I . II 5 IIi _ o 15

25
S20 VI [Tonic]

7a. ToccataL. I6, <ideal*cantus

EXAMPLE firmus, I (=
toneIV nonitoni)
I 5 10

15 II 20 [Ricercar begins]
section

[repetition]
,44 50 55

60 65 IV 70

A
if
75
-I
80

-I
85 V 90

VI 9; 100 [repetition]

58

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 105 110 VII 115

120VIII 125
1IJ '0 1. I' II f rI I , '
I. .
130 135

toneIV
7b. Toccata L. 17,Rideal,cantusfirmus,
EXAMPLE

5 10o 15

II 20 25

[Ricercarsectionbegins]
A 0 35 40
, Ha
m
i II II ,ih I. I
S72II [repetition] 80 85
... ... .
AL ........-.. ........
- ....
90 IV 95 100

105[lasttwonotesrepeated] 110 115

" -I .1 I_1. i I I

EXAMPLE 7c. toneV

Toccata L. 19, (ideal#cantusfirmus,

Ai 10 II

15 III 20
20 25

a n
....-....-- a.

V . * 50 VI
_40Y

59

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 55 VII 60 VIII

65 IX 70X 75

XI 80 85 [Final repeatedseveraltimes]go

J II
c
i I Ia . Ia taIJI l t I
AIio Io It!,_ I.:I
95 100

60

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.223 on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:01:48 PM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions