What is a motet in music?
motet, (French mot: “word”), style of vocal composition that has undergone numerous transformations through many centuries. Typically, it is a Latin religious choral composition, yet it can be a secular composition or a work for soloist(s) and instrumental accompaniment, in any language, with or without a choir.
What does motet literally mean?
: a polyphonic choral composition on a sacred text usually without instrumental accompaniment.
What are the characteristics of a motet?
Motets were often polyphonic, meaning there were various vocal parts sung at the same time. Though motets started being written in the late Medieval period, they developed greatly in and are most associated with the Renaissance period, which lasted from approximately 1450-1600.
What is the function of a motet?
The motet, a free-standing work usually for a vocal ensemble, emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century and evolved over time according to cultural and stylistic norms. Motets played a leading role as vehicles for compositional innovation and virtuosic display throughout the 14th–16th centuries.
What is motet in Renaissance?
Motet: In the Renaissance, this is a sacred polyphonic choral setting with a Latin text, sometimes in imitative counterpoint.
What is the rhythm of motet?
The motet took a definite rhythm from the words of the verse, and as such appeared as a brief rhythmic interlude in the middle of the longer, more chant-like organum. The practice of discant over a cantus firmus marked the beginnings of counterpoint in Western music.
What is a motet in Renaissance music?
Motet: In the Renaissance, this is a sacred polyphonic choral setting with a Latin text, sometimes in imitative counterpoint.
Are motets polyphonic?
A motet is a piece of polyphonic choral music commonly associated with the Renaissance period of classical music. The form emerged in the Medieval period as an early form of vocal polyphony.
How many voices are in a motet?
three voices A. Motets are now quite often for three voices (two voices with text and the Tenor). The Tenor at first is still organized into its repeatable rhythmic cells and moves at about the same speed of the other voices. The upper voices generally have two different French texts.
What is the difference between motet and madrigal?
Motet A motet is a polyphonic work with four or five voice parts singing one religious text. They are similar to madrigals, but with an important difference: motets are religious works, while madrigals are usually love songs.
What is medieval motet?
A motet is a piece of polyphonic choral music commonly associated with the Renaissance period of classical music. The form emerged in the Medieval period as an early form of vocal polyphony.
What is Medieval motet?
A motet is a piece of polyphonic choral music commonly associated with the Renaissance period of classical music. The form emerged in the Medieval period as an early form of vocal polyphony.
How many are in a motet?
The Renaissance motet had but one text, in Latin, and was a polyphonic, unaccompanied composition. It had usually from four to six voices and was free from the 13th-century rhythmic rigidity.
What is a motet in Renaissance?
What Is a Motet? A motet is a piece of polyphonic choral music commonly associated with the Renaissance period of classical music. The form emerged in the Medieval period as an early form of vocal polyphony.