Motet

The Motet (from French motet, and this from mot: 'word, nickname& #39;) is a polyphonic composition born in the XIII century to be sung in churches, and its themes are commonly biblical. They were songs for religious worship for 4 voices in Latin and "a capella" (without instruments). Until the 17th century, it remained one of the most important musical forms of polyphonic music. It originated in the 13th century and spread as a polyphonic vocal piece without instrumental accompaniment (a capella), with a dramatic and imitative character.

Middle Ages

The medieval use of the term motet corresponds to a vocal composition for several voices. It was based on a liturgical tune "dada" (that is, not original, not specially composed), called tenor (accented on the 'e'), which could be sung or perhaps played with some instrument, since even in some cases this is clearly indicated (as in the In seculum viellatoris of the Codex Bamberg, for example). Sometimes, even in works for religious use, the given melody was of profane origin. In this sense, the motet succeeded the conductus, even in its most demanding aspect.

The motet went on to become the most important musical genre of the 13th century; from 1250, only this form remained (practically they stopped composing conductus and organum). Its origin is found in a type of 'vertical trope', on the tenors or the parts of organum or discantus. New (and different, even in a different language) text was added to them, and they were called Duplum and Motetus (and, for more voices, Triplum, Quadruplum, etc.).

It cannot be said that the motet is a musical form, since, strictly speaking, this denomination was developed by the theorists and composers of the century. XVIII. Therefore, it could be considered a musical genre.

The motet, developed from the organum, usually from those of Perotin, added a syllabic text for the upper voices (the same text for all of them). So, its shape is very similar to that of the conductus: it is called motet-conductus. This motet-conductus did not enjoy further evolution.

The evolution of the motet arose from the letters added to the clauses (discanto sections) of the ancient organa. The most primitive examples are discant clauses for two voices, in which a religious text in Latin is added to the duplum that comments on the song. From there, there are compositions for three (this was the most frequent at the time) or four voices, created from substitution clauses: a different text is added to each of the upper voices (even in different languages).. Thus, a very important characteristic of the motet of this period appeared: polytextuality. Over time, secular texts in French would be added to the upper voices, which caused the motet to become an independent form and out of the liturgical context, thus beginning the existence of polyphonic secular music (although it is really unknown). still its concrete practical use).

The evolution of the motet in the history of music was very curious: its origin was sacred, it became profane and then it would become sacred again. The term motet came into use when it lost its liturgical use ("mot" means "word", in French). There are even bilingual motets in which the duplum can be in Latin and carry religious text, and the triplum, in French and profane text. The texts had nothing to do with each other, but only in appearance, since they had usually been selected to create complicated symbolisms, relationships and metaphors between their meanings (as already observed in the conductus).

In the second half of the XIII century, there was a motet with three distinct voices, each with a text and a different character. It is the characteristic motet of Franco de Colonia. In this, the tenor is in longer values and has minimal Latin text (it is a cantus firmus). Above the tenor, was the duplum, with profane text in French of a melancholic character, and at the top was the triplum, which It has a secular text in French, but with a more cheerful character and with a faster rhythm.

There was a problem with these motets, since the modal rhythmic system that had been used until then in the organa was not the most appropriate. The text of the upper voices was syllabic (difficult to adapt the text and to recognize the rhythmic mode), so in the second half of the century XIII a type of mensural notation began to be developed to be able to indicate the absolute value of the notes, regardless of where they were (for the most part). The first treatise in which this type of notation appeared was the "Ars cantus mensurabilis", by Franco of Cologne.

Motets stopped being written in the form of a score (that is, one voice over another) and began to be written in a chorus book format, almost always on a double page (the duplum on one side, the motetus in the other and the tenor under both). It is possible that this change occurred, in part, because parchments were scarce and expensive (aside, the tenor took up less space than the upper voices).

A compositional technique frequently used at the end of motets was the hoquetus ("echo", "hypo", "hollow"), in which, the voices answered silence against note, alternately. Some compositions were almost entirely hoquetus.

Renaissance

Already at the end of the XIV century, although especially in the XV and XVI, with the Burgundian School, the motet regained its sacred character, ceased to be polytextual, and became about a single text and without cantus firmus. The motet for solo voice appeared, with instrumental accompaniment. In the second half of the century, Franco-Flemish composers made the motet as important a genre as the mass. It became a choral composition on cantus firmus, to which Josquin des Prés gave its definitive form within Renaissance polyphony.

In the second half of the XVI century, the polychoral motet of the Venetian school appeared, using more than one chorus to create 'spatial effects', such as echoes or question-answer. Some of the relevant motet composers were:

• Alexander Agricultural
• Guillaume Dufay
• Gilles Binchois
• Antoine Busnois
• William Byrd
• Johannes Vodnianus Campanus
• Loyset Compère
• Josquin des Prés
• John Dunstable
• Pedro Fernández de Castilleja
• Antoine de Févin
• Francisco Guerrero
• Nicolas Gombert
• Heinrich Isaac
• Pierre de La Rue
• Orlando di Lasso
• Cristóbal de Morales
• Jean Mouton
• Jacob Obrecht
• Johannes Ockeghem
• Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
• Thomas Tallis
• John Taverner
• Tomás Luis de Victoria

Baroque

Motete of Johann Pachelbel, Gott ist unser Zuversicht, Psalm 46

The name "motet" was preserved in Baroque music, especially in France, where the word was applied to "petits motets", sacred compositions whose only accompaniment was a basso continuo, and &# 34;grands motets", including instruments up to a full orchestra.

Of the latter style of motets, Jean-Baptiste Lully was an important composer. Lully's motets often include solo and choral parts. They are long, including various movements in which soloists, choirs and various instruments are used. These motets continued the Renaissance tradition of semi-secular works in Latin, such as "Plaude laetare Gallia", written to celebrate the baptism of King Louis XIV's son: his text (by Pierre Perrin) starts like this;

Plaude laetare Gallia

Rore caelesti rigantur lilia,

Sacro Delphinus fonte lavatur

Et christianus Christo dicatur.

(Rejoice and sing, France, the lily is bathed with heavenly dew, the Dolphin is bathed in the sacred source, and the Christian is dedicated to Christ)

Also in Germany, pieces called motets were written in the new musical language of the Baroque. Heinrich Schütz wrote many motets in a series of publications called Symphoniae sacrae, some in Latin and some in German.

Johann Sebastian Bach also wrote six works called motets; They are `relatively long pieces with text in German, on sacred texts for choir and basso continuo:

• BWV 225 Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied (1726)
• BWV 226 Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf (1729)
• BWV 227 Jesu, meine Freude (?)
• BWV 228 Fürchte dich nicht, ich bin bei dir (?)
• BWV 229 Komm, Jesu, komm! (1730 ?)

In religious music

In the 13th and XIV, the motet became a series of religious choral polyphonic variations, usually in Latin, on a generally non-liturgical text. It is the equivalent in the Catholic Church of the ántiphon ('antiphon', English responsorial song of the Church of England).

A rather exceptional use of the term motet is when it is applied to a work similar in nature to the previous one (choral, of a serious nature) but it is not ecclesiastical. For example, the Englishman Parry called his Songs of Farewel motets (Goodbye Songs).

Recordings

• Tallis - If ye love me (breakable link available on the Internet Archive; see history, first version and last).