From the beginning of the 13th century the motet began to supplant the conductus as the preferred form of composition. In contrast to the simultaneous declamation of the same Latin text in the polyphonic conductus, a motet may have as many as three individual texts, often on contrasting subjects and not necessarily even in the same language. These texts are usually in different metres and of varying lengths of phrase, resulting in a kaleidoscopic overlapping of texture which can produce an element of aural confusion to the listener. The lowest voice in the motet, the tenor (from the Latin tenere - to hold - because the tenor part held the piece together) is usually a fragment of plainchant or even a popular song of the time, often repeated, over which the other voices weave their patterns. The way in which a motet is constructed in layers may be heard in Mout souvent / Mout ai esté en dolour / MULIERUM      where it is performed twice: firstly in two parts with only the duplum (Mout ai esté) and the vocalized tenor (MULIERUM), and secondly with the addition of the triplum (Mout souvent). The tenor (conventionally represented in capital letters) usually has no text of its own and is therefore performed vocally on a suitable vowel - often a French “u” in preference to an English “ah” which has a tendency to mask the texts of other voices. An obvious clue to the form of a motet comes in its triple, or sometimes quadruple, title.

This is music for several voices, but allowing each voice a measure of independence and individuality whilst still fitting together harmonically as, for instance, in a motet such as Je m'en vois / Tels a mout / OMNES     .

This word describes the large collection of ritual monophonic music used in the liturgy of the Western Christian Church. Plainchant is a translation of the Latin Cantus planus and is sung in free rhythm without a regular tactus as distinct from Cantus mensuratus - measured song, implying a rhythmic regularity associated with pieces in harmony.

Towards the end of the 6th century a major codification took place under the aegis of Pope Gregory the Great (hence Gregorian Chant) in which texts and chants were assigned to particular feasts, many of which are still the same today. In the cathedrals, churches and chapels of Western Europe, plainchant would have been much the most familiar (indeed, usually the only) musical element, with polyphony only very gradually introduced from the 12th century onwards, and then only initially on feast days.

The liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church (and it should be remembered that England was Roman Catholic until King Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s) may be broadly divided into the Mass - the main daily celebration of the Holy Communion - and the Office - the “Hour services” such as Lauds, Terce, Vespers and Compline. During the Office the chief varieties of plainchant heard would be the psalms (each with its antiphon), canticles such as the Magnificat (sung during Vespers), hymns (such as that for the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord A solis ortus cardine      and responsories. Plainchant to be heard during the Mass may be subdivided into the Ordinary - that is, portions of liturgical text which nearly always occur in each celebration of the Mass, such as the Kyrie eleison, Gloria in excelsis, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei - and Propers - meditative texts and chants specifically assigned to an individual service on a particular day of the year and sung at set points during the celebration, such as the Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Offertory and Communion. You can hear examples of the Gradual Hec dies quam fecit Dominus      and the Alleluia Pascha nostrum      for the Mass of Easter Day.

The vast majority of the plainchant repertory is of anonymous authorship, though with some honourable exceptions: the 11th century Bruno of Toul (later to become better known as Pope Leo IX) composed, amongst other works, propers for the feast of his papal predecessor St Gregory the Great, and the 12th century Abbess Hildegard of Bingen composed a large number of hymns, sequences, antiphons and responsories, several of which may be heard on our CD Hildegard of Bingen: A feather on the breath of God.

Responsories are not so well known today as some other plainchant, chiefly because of their association with the monastic Night Office where the more elaborate Greater Responsories are no longer part of common usage. A responsory consists of two sections: the respond and the verse, the latter usually sung to a more elaborate tone than that used in chanting the psalms during the Office. They are usually performed in the order respond - verse - respond, with the repeat of the respond shortened so that only its second half is sung. This formula is occasionally lengthened with the addition of the first half of the doxology Gloria Patri, set to the same elaborate tone as the verse and followed by another shortened repeat of the respond. A typical example of a responsory is Gaude Maria virgo     . Responsories which are still used in the liturgy include the short responsory In manus tuas Domine (Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit) which may still be heard during the Office of Compline.

A secular poetic form in which 8 verses of text are set to 2 sections of music in the pattern A-B-a-A-a-b-A-B (where A and B represent the first 2 verses of text). As may be seen, verse 4 is the same as verse 1, and verses 7 and 8 are a recapitulation of the first 2 verses. One of the best known rondeaux is Guillaume de Machaut's Rose, liz, printemps, verdure     .

A secular poetic form in which 5 verses of text are set to 2 sections of music in the pattern A-b-b-a-A and in which the 1st verse of text (A) returns in the 5th verse as a kind of refrain. The virelai form may be extended with additional sets of 4 verses of text in the pattern +b-b-a-A, the 4th additional verse in each case being the same as the 1st and 5th verses. A typical virelai can be heard in Solage's Joieux de cuer     .

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