The Use of Aristotle's Rhetorica in a Renaissance Penitential Psalm Motet: A Case Study of Josquin Desprez’s Miserere Mei Deus

This dissertation explores the application of Aristotle’s Rhetorica in interpreting and analysing the Renaissance motet Miserere Mei Deus by Josquin Desprez. It investigates the specific relationship between words and music in the chosen motet. It affirms the relevance and benefits of applying rhetorical principles to understand this selected musical composition, which might become a new method for motet interpretation using rhetoric. The research takes a comprehensive approach, considering the musical style, context, and symbolism in the motet and exploring the concepts, principles, and techniques of rhetoric, primarily as elaborated by Aristotle in his mature systematic treatise called The Art of Rhetoric or Rhetorica. Ultimately, this study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the development of choral music and its connection to rhetorical principles and analysis. The research findings reveal that the relation to the text plays a crucial role in exploring and understanding the development of Renaissance motets.
This research provides several different directions for future research, including the further and deeper exploration of the relationship between rhetoric and music in other compositions from the late 15th and 16th centuries, studying the influence of rhetoric on different genres of music, and venturing into a comparative analysis of different composers’ use of rhetoric in their various compositions. Overall, the research findings imply that adopting a rhetorical approach to tracing musical compositions can enhance a musician’s understanding and interpretation of musical compositions and provide a means to create persuasive, emotionally engaging performances.