'Courante Mars': variations (re?)united

The air de cour 'Est-ce Mars le grand Dieu des alarmes' by Pierre Guédron was first performed at the French court on 17 November 1613, as part of a 'Ballet de Madame' honoring one of Louis XIII's sisters. Two publications followed that same year. The powerful melody made its way through northern Europe very quickly. It became known as 'Courante Mars' although the piece is in duple time and not a courante at all (triple-time versions existed as well). In the Netherlands, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck composed extensive keyboard variations on it, and Nicolaes Vallet made four versions, two for the lute (1615) and two for lute quartet (1616). Jacob van Eyck's Der Fluyten Lust-hof contains two sets of variations, but the fact is disadvantageous to him. The pieces are quite simple; it is regrettable but true that the Utrecht composer could not hold a candle to Sweelinck.

Both pieces by van Eyck appeared in 1644 for the first time (Euterpe oft Speel-goddinne) and they are similar in form. The first 'Courante Mars' [New Vellekoop Edition 46] presents the theme with ornamented reprises in which eighth notes predominate. Modo 2 makes use of repeats, whereas sixteenth notes provide the show. [facsimile] The form schedule (AA'BB'; A''A''B''B'') is very untypical of van Eyck being bot congruitous (modo 2) and discongruitous (modo 1).

The 'Tweede [second] Courante Mars' [NVE 57] was probably meant to have the same scheme. Here, however, the variations are presented as one continuous piece, without separating modo 2 from modo 1. The repeats of 'modo 2' are missing. [facsimile] In the New Vellekoop Edition, we have restored the piece by analogy to the first.

Jacob van Eyck seems to have been his own worst enemy by spreading his creativity over two pieces. It would have been easy to combine them. A comparison makes clear that the figurations of the second 'Courante Mars' are always a little more advanced in the process of diminutions in comparison to the corresponding 'breaking notes' of the first set. In bar 7 of the first modo, both versions have the same broken chords, but the order of the notes differs. It is also interesting to compare the first two bars of the second strain in modo 2: they behave complementarily in a rhythmical sense:

The overall content suggests that the two variations may have sprung
from one 'mother piece'. There are several ways to combine them, but a through-composed version - with the figurations of the first 'Courante Mars' preceding those of the second - is the most satisfying. Continuous refreshment gives variations on such a simple
tune the necessary weight. Through-composed variations are also a little untypical of van Eyck, but not completely: a through-composed set is to be found in the first 'Lanterlu' [NVE 41]. This is therefore the way we present 'Courante Mars' here (click!). As an 'encore', I have made an arrangement of Sweelinck's virtuosic fourth keyboard variation for recorder. Have fun!

Thiemo Wind

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