scholastically artificial compositions were
frequently based on trivial and vulgar tunes, suggesting the tavern, the
dancing-room, or even worse places, to worshipers assembled for the
celebration of a Sacrament. Masses bore titles adopted from the popular
melodies on which they were founded: such, for example, as 'Adieu mes
amours,' 'A l'ombre d'un buissonnet,' 'Baise-moi,' 'L'ami baudichon
madame,' 'Le vilain jaloux.' Even the words of love-ditties and obscene
ballads in French, Flemish, and Italian, were being squalled out by the
tenor while the bass gave utterance to an _Agnus_ or a _Benedictus_, and
the soprano was engaged upon the verses of a Latin hymn. Baini, who
examined hundreds of these Masses and motetts in MS., says that the
words imported into them from vulgar sources 'make one's flesh creep and
one's hair stand on end.' He does not venture to do more than indicate a
few of the more decent of these interloping verses; but mentions one
_Kyrie_, in which the tenor sang _Je ne vis oncques la pareille_; a
_Sanctus_, in which he had to utter _gracieuse gente mounyere_; and a
_Benedictus_, where the same offender was employed on _Madame, faites
moy scavoir_. As an augmentation of this indecency, numbers from a Mass
or motett which started with the grave rhythm of a Gregorian tone, were
brought to their conclusion on the dance measure of a popular _ballata_,
so that _Incarnatus est_ or _Kyrie eleison_ went jigging off into
suggestions of Masetto and Zerlina at a village ball.

To describe all the impertinences to which the customs of vocal
execution then in vogue gave rise, by means of flourishes,
improvisations, accelerations of time and multitudinous artifices
derived from the _ad libitum_ abuses of the fugal machinery, would serve
no purpose. But it may be profitably mentioned that the mischief was not
confined to the vocal parts. Organ and orchestra of divers instruments
were allowed the same liberty of improvising on the given theme,
embroidering these with fanciful _capricci_, and indulging their own
taste in symphonies connected with the main structure by slight and
artificial links. Instrumental music had not yet taken an independent
place in art. The lute, the trumpet, or the stops of the organ, followed
and imitated the voice; and thus in this confusion a choir of stringed
and wind instruments was placed in competition with the singing
choir.[205] It would appear that the composer frequently gave but a