''Inviolata, integra et casta es Maria'' (You are inviolate, untouched, and chaste, Mary) is a

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margar ...

Josquin des Prez Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez ( – 27 August 1521) was a composer of High Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he was a central figure of the ...

. One of his most famous compositions, it divides the '' cantus firmus'' into three sections and is scored for five voices—two carrying the canonical melody and three free.

History

Composed by Josquin des Prez, the motet first appeared in print around 1519, with the publication of ''Motetti de la corona, libro quarto'' by Ottaviano Petrucci. The '' cantus firmus'' is a twelfth-century Gregorian melody titled ''Inviolata'' that was traditionally performed during

Candlemas Candlemas (also spelled Candlemass), also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter, is a Christian holiday commemorating the presentati ...

; Josquin based his composition on a particular version of ''Inviolata'' sung at the Basilica of Our Lady, Tongeren.

Structure

The motet is scored for five voices: three free ones and two singing the ''cantus firmus'', which is divided into three sections and expressed in

whole note A whole note (American) or semibreve (British) in musical notation is a single note equivalent to or lasting as long as two half notes or four quarter notes. Description The whole note or semibreve has a note head in the shape of a hollow ov ...

s. The time interval between the voices singing the ''cantus firmus'' decreases with each section, from three breves to two to one. In the opening bars (1–15), perfect modus is employed, creating a dignified atmosphere, whereas imperfect modus is established at the start of the second part. The five-breve phrase "O benigna, O regina, O Maria" is repeated thrice in the third section, with all five voices singing the same chords. In total, the motet is made up of some 144 (12 x 12) breves, a reference to the "holy" figure associated with Mary and the "woman of the apocalypse" with "a crown of twelve stars" around her head in the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of R ...

Legacy

The motet is one of Josquin's most famous works, and was reworked by several composers especially during the early sixteenth century, such as

Antonio de Cabezón Antonio de Cabezón (30 March 1510 – 26 March 1566) was a Spanish Renaissance composer and organist. Blind from childhood, he quickly rose to prominence as a performer and was eventually employed by the royal family. He was among the most impo ...

and Philippe Verdelot.

References

Citations

Works cited