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Motet
(1,394 words)

1. Concept and history up to the Council of Trent

The motet (Middle Latin motetus, Italian motetto) is an important genre of polyphonic vocal music, originally found in both secular and spiritual spheres but later mostly confined to church music (Music, ecclesiastical). Content of texts was spiritual and secular from the beginning.

Following its appearance in the 13th century, the motet rapidly acquired widespread popularity by the early 1…

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Körndle, Franz, “Motet”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 01 October 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_024315>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20200128



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