motet

American  

[moh-tet] / moʊˈtɛt /

noun

Music.

1. a vocal composition in polyphonic style, on a Biblical or similar prose text, intended for use in a church service.

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motet British  

/ məʊˈtɛt /

noun

1. a polyphonic choral composition used as an anthem in the Roman Catholic service

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Etymology

Origin of motet

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French; see mot, -et

Example Sentences

The focus is on the Virgin Mary’s special role in the Nativity story, as in a new arrangement of a Renaissance motet by the Portuguese Vicente Lusitano, the first known, published Black composer.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 14, 2023

But perhaps more impressive in the end was the chamber chorus’s rendition of an altogether more modest creation by Tallis, the four-part motet “If Ye Love Me.”

From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2015

The short program ended with Dudamel conducting the orchestra and the Soma children's chorus in a performance of the Mozart motet "Ave Verum Corpus" dedicated to those who sacrificed to help in Fukushima.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2015

The choir also will sing several motets spanning the Renaissance through modern periods, including a Magnificat by Hieronymous Praetorius and a motet by local composer Leo Nestor.

From Washington Post • Mar. 13, 2015

Josquin’s motet Miserere mei, Deus composed in about 1503, shows us how far the musical treatment of texts had come since the death of Dufay.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall