The Middle Ages: Motet Notes and Vocabulary

Question 1

Two significant developments in the evolution of the 13th century motet were the

Answer 1

increasing energy of tenor rhythms and the inclusion of non-Latin languages

Question 2

England also had motets, but without

Answer 2

secular elements, non-Latin languages, and without the plainchant constraint, in the tenor (using tenors that were borrowed or freely composed)

Question 3

Golliard songs are verses in Latin with subjects ranging from

Answer 3

tender love songs to obscene drinking songs

Question 4

O Mitissima/Virgo/Haec dies uses the Haec dies chant

Answer 4

to serve as the cantus firmus

Question 5

The predominant text setting of the upper voices in O Mitissima/Virgo/Haec dies

Answer 5

is syllabic and neumatic while the lower voice is melismatic

Question 6

Motet

Answer 6

from the French word mot (word), referring to the addition of new texts to existing music, a vocal composition with or without instrumental accompaniment that can be sacred or secular that floursihed from the 13th to the 16th centuries

Question 7

Polytextuality

Answer 7

two or more texts heard simultaneously, resulting so that the words can sometimes be hard to distinguish, but it was a characteristic feature of the 13th century motet