Untitled

ISORHYTHM 395
(Triplum: O Mary, virgin of David's line, flower of virgins, only hope of life,
way of pardon, light of grace, mother of mercy, thou above givest thy commands
in the heavenly citadel and the soldiery obey thee, thou alone sittest on the throne
of glory, shining bright with divine grace. The stars are confounded by thy face,
the sun and moon by thy power; all these bright luminaries thou dost surpass at
noonday with thy face. With holy prayers appease thy son, thou who art in
strange fashion his daughter, that judgement may not go against us but that he
may give us the eternal rewards of life.
Motetus: O Mary, star of the sea, full of grace, mother and maiden in one,
vessel of chastity, temple of our redeemer, sun of justice, gate of heaven, hope of
sinners, throne of glory, consoler of the wretched, fountain of pardon, hear thy
servants who beseech thee, mother of grace, that through thee their sins may
this day be taken away- thy servants who praise thee in truth with a pure heart.)
ENGLISH MOTETS FOR FOUR VOICES
Reference has already been made (see pp. 353 and 359) to a predilec
tion on the part of English composers for writing in four parts, with
its resultant sonority. This is no mere passing phase of the thirteenth
century, but is a feature which can be observed without difficulty in
later work such as the Old Hall manuscript (vol. iii, chap, iv) and
in the compositions of Browne and Ludford (vol. iii, chap. ix). From
our present period there survive, in addition to the quadruplum quoted
in Ex. 202 (p. 375), about twenty-seven of these English four-part
motets, though many of these are incomplete portions
Worcester collection. The opening of 'Ovet mundus' 1 is given
from the
as an
example of this sonorous type. The characteristically English pro
gressions of \
^
TRIPLEX
chords in bars 2 and 11 will be noticed:
EX.217
O - vet mun- dus
MOTETUS
lae-ta - Dim- dus, tim-pa -
QUATRUPLEX M
TENOR
Oxford, Bodleian, Hatton 81, fo. lv , 44.