Lorenzo da Firenze: Caccia, "A poste messe" (canon for the hunt)

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Music: Lorenzo da Firenze (d. 1372/73): Caccia, "A poste messe" (canon for the hunt)
Transcription: Jordan Alexander Key

Ensemble: Freiburg Spielleyt
Album: Vocal Music (Medieval) - Oswald Von Wolkenstein / Vaillant, J. / Hugo Von Montfort / Dufay, G. / Dowland, J. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPESb1BDdDQ
℗ 2003 Christophorus

Performance score with english lyrical underlay:
https://www.academia.edu/33186580/Lorenzo_da_Firenze_d._1372_73_Caccia_A_poste_messe_with_Italian_and_English_lyrical_text_underlay_Source_Biblioteca_Medicea-Laurenziana_I-Fl_MS_Mediceo_Palatino_87_Codex_Squarcialupi_fol_25v-26r._

Transcription Sources:
Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana [I-Fl], MS Mediceo Palatino 87, “Codex Squarcialupi”, fol 25v-26r.
Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Florence (Firenze), Italy [I-Fn], MS Panciatichiano 26, "Panciatichi", fol. 76v-77r.

The form of this piece is canonic with monophonic (?) ritornello. As indicated in the codices, the first part of the piece is clearly a canon for ether two or three voices. The second part, however, gives no sign that it should be performed canonically. Furthermore, there seems to be no reasonable way to render the second half of this piece as a canon without numerous and egregious counterpoint errors. Thus, it is generally accepted that the Ritornello is not a canon like the first part.

The second part can be performed monophonically or by many voices in octaves. However, many recordings have taken the liberty to arrange polyphonic parts to fit with the given monophonic line. Most such arrangements borrow material from the monophonic line, parts of which work contrapuntally well together when isolated and extracted arbitrarily. The given recording does such an invented arrangement for the second half, which I believe is well-executed and does justice to the content of the given music.

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Italian text:

A poste messe, veltri e gran mastini,
Te’, te’, Vilan! te’, te’, Baril!
chiamando Ciof, ciof, qui, qui ciof!
Bracchi e segugi per bosch’aizando!
Eccola, eccola!
Guarda, guarda qua! Lassa, lassa lassa!
O tu, o tu, o tu! Passa, passa, passa!
La cervia uscì al grido ed a l’abaio,
bianca lattata, col collar di vaio.

A ricolta bu, bu, bu, sanza corno
Tatin tintin tatin titin, tatin
sonava per i scorno no no no no.


English translation:

All in their places, greyhounds and great mastiffs,
Hey, hey, Vilan*! Hey, hey, Baril**!
Calling "woof woof", here. "Woof!"
Bracchi*** and segugi**** to the shining woodlands!
Here it is, here it is!
Look, look here! Let them go, loose loose!
Hey you, or you, or you! Go, go, go!
The doe came out to the shouting and the barking,
milky white, with neck of speckled grey.

Rally to! bu, bu, bu, without horn.
tintin, tatin, tintin tatin,
sounded as if in scorn, no no…


* Some name, perhaps one of the dogs or fellow hunters.
** Some name, perhaps one of the dogs or fellow hunters.
*** A type of hunting dog, Braccho, also known as the Italian Hunter.
**** A type of hunting dog, Segugio, also known as the Italian Hound.