Analysis of Performance Practice Trends in Recent Recordings of Tomás Luis De Victoria's O Magnum Mysterium, O Quam Gloriosum, O Vos Omnes, and Officium Defunctorum as Related to Historical and Contemporary Scholarly Literature

This dissertation investigates performance practice trends in the music of Tomás Luis de Victoria as performed on commercially available recordings. The study discusses the prevailing philosophies surrounding musicians' quest for authenticity in performance, and examines five elements of performance practice relevant to Renaissance music: the make-up of the performing ensemble, the performing pitch level, the tempo and proportional mensural relationships, the use of vibrato, and the employment of melodic embellishment. Ninety-two recorded performances of four works by Victoria, O magnum mysterium, O quam gloriosum, O vos omnes, and Officium defunctorum contributed to the data. The findings are contextualized in relation to the descriptions of primary source materials from the Renaissance era and modern scholarly research in the area of Renaissance performance practice. The types of ensembles and the given pitch level of a piece are highly dependent on the nature of the singers. All types of choral ensembles perform Renaissance music, both a cappella and accompanied, at a pitch level that suits the ranges of the singers. Tempo decisions vary widely among performers, though they tend to adhere to the belief that the pulse of a human informs the pulse of the music. The character of the text and the complexity of the music also influence tempo. Some performers sing with vibrato and some without, though modern scholars agree that the presence of vibrato results from healthy singing and need not detract from the Renaissance tonal aesthetic. A vast majority of performers do not attempt to embellish melodic lines despite evidence that Renaissance singers were highly skilled in ornamentation. The disparity and variety of practices evident on the recorded performances do not produce specific hard and fast rules. The data show that performers make performance practice decisions based on the context of their performance. Authentic performances blend an understanding of historical evidence and research about music performance with the reality of performing ancient music within a modern framework.