Dufay's most imposing Marian composition is his last setting of the antiphon 'Ave Regina cælorum,' composed after 1460, which includes his name twice in the text.
Compositional Technique
Dufay's compositions frequently employ 'fauxbourdon,' an improvisatory practice where the main melody is doubled by lower voices at a sixth and a fourth, creating characteristic chords.
Composer Biography
Guillaume Dufay, the composer featured on this album, was greatly devoted to the Virgin Mary, which is reflected in his Marian works.
Compositional Technique
Dufay's song motets are distinct from older forms as their melodies are not derived from plainchant and their form is not based on the rhythmic periodicity of the tenor.
Critical Reception
The polyphonic hymns by Dufay, a Franco-Burgundian musician, remained in liturgical use and served as models for other composers until the 1490s.
Compositional Technique
Dufay's polyphonic hymns often use 'alternatim' chant, alternating between monophonic odd-numbered verses in plainchant and polyphonic even-numbered verses.
Composition History
Dufay composed a 'civic' motet, 'Salve fl os Tusce gentis,' in honor of Florence and its inhabitants during his stay there in 1435-1436, which is his only known example of such a work.
