Conductus
In contrast to the polyphonic motet and organum, the Notre Dame school composed also music with a homorhythmical design: the conductus, probably music accompanying a procession. We can discern the following features:
  1. two, three or four part
  2. the tenor is not derived from the chant, but is newly composed
  3. homorhythmical compositional techniques (also called discantus or and note-against-note); also found hocket techniques
  4. sometimes, the conductus ends with a copula: a section where all voices perform independent melodic ornamentations
  5. metrical, Latin verses, with religious or serious secular content (referring to politic or social subjects). So a strophic design.
Famous example: Salvatoris Hodie of Perotinus (late 12th century and begin 13th century): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9LYrQoQ8SE

conductus (58K)