Elora Singers hosting Motets Through the Centuries
ELORA – The Elora Singers are hosting the Motets Through the Centuries Feb. 7 at the St. John’s Anglican Church (36 Henderson Street) at 2:30pm.
A motet is a multi-part vocal piece generally performed in a religious setting.
With origins in Medieval music, the motet has evolved through the centuries during the Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern periods.
The Renaissance, Baroque
Franco-Flemish composer Josquin des Prez was a master of polyphony and a pivotal figure in shaping Renaissance music, including the motet, officials say.
Renowned for his expressive use of imitation and his sensitive treatment of text, Josquin brought new depth and clarity to sacred choral writing, most notably in his motet Gaude virgo Mater Christi.
Johann Sebastian Bach is best known for his mastery of the cantata, yet his approach to the motet transformed the inherited traditions of Renaissance polyphony into a powerful and distinct art form, officials say.
Komm, Jesu, komm, believed to have been written for a funeral, sets poetic text by the German poet, Paul Thymich, rather than a biblical passage, and is scored for double choir.
This work marks a pivotal moment in the motet’s evolution and stands as one of Bach’s most profound sacred choral expressions.
The Modern
Arvo Pärt’s The Deer’s Cry is based on a 5th-century text traditionally attributed to Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
The text is a prayer, taken from the Irish sacred lorica, and it invokes God’s protection against evil.
Drawing on the spirit of the Renaissance motet, Pärt steps away from his signature tintinnabuli style to write a strikingly tonal work, whose calm, unwavering harmonies mirror the steadfast faith expressed in the prayer itself.
