Introduction
A motet could be defined as a vocal piece of music in several parts. Although this definition will generally suffice regarding music from the 13th to the late 16th century and beyond, the definition of a renaissance motet can be more specific: a renaissance motet is a polyphonic musical setting, sometimes in imitative counterpoint, for chorus, of a Latin text, usually sacred. Josquin's 'Ave Maria, virgo serena' is the most strong and consistent example, almost a paragdigma of motet composing in the Renaissance: each section is built on a separate musical subject (in England called: 'point of imitation', or simply 'point'). Some instrumental forms are derived from the motet, i.e. the motet served as a model.

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Four instrumental derivations from the vocal renaissance motet
Forms
We only mention here four important derivations of the motet.
  1. Canzone francese: an arrangement, strict or free, of the French motet-chanson (see Notes below), usually light of character.
  2. Canzona or Canzon: an original piece, similar to the foregoing (see Notes below).
  3. Ricercare: similar to the Canzona, but generally more serious in character; and 'serious' means 'contrapuntal design'
  4. Fantasia, Fantasy, Fancy (Spanish: Tiento): similar to the canzona and NOT a quasi improvisatory piece as the title implies (this can without problems be said about the Fantasia's from the 18th and beyond).

Composers: to mention only a few, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Giovanni Gabrieli, Jan Pietersz. Sweelinck, William Byrd


Form
The stylistic distinction between canzona and ricercare is frequently blurred. Only one consistent differentiation can be maintained: the ricercar is the more densily contrapuntal, the more complex polyphony. Together with the fantasia (and capricio) they show the following tendencies:
  • In most cases, sectional in structure; in other words: form as a sequence of more or less clearly defined sections.
  • Polythematic design: each section built on various themes (also called: chain canzona or chain ricercar)
  • Monothematic design: in each section variations of one theme, by applying procedures as augmentation and diminution (also called: variation-canzona or variation-ricercar)

Manipulations of time
One could say that an important answer on the question 'How to compose?' is 'Manipulation of time'. That means: manipulation of the time experience of listeners. We can outline two strategies:
  1. Rhythmical augmentation and diminution of the theme is a standard procedure in composing a monothematic ricercar or fantasia.
  2. Generally speaking, rhythmical diminution in ricercar and fantasia is the overall design: at the beginning long note values, at the end small note values.
  3. Changes of meter often occur in canzon: alternating duple meter with triple meter and vice versa.
Influence
  • The fugue can be seen as the derivation of the monothematic ricercare.
Notes
  1. Bernard Schmid refers in his Tabulatur Buch (1607) to fugues as Canzoni alla francese. Generally speaking, labeling of forms and genres is not consistent and unambigious.
  2. Remember that two types of French chansons can be discerned. The first type can be called motet-chanson, composed on French texts by Flemish-Dutch composers as Cipriano de Rore: imitation is the central technique. The second type is the French or better Parisian chanson by French composers as Clément Janequin and Claudin de Sermisy: homophonic, programmatic, lyrical and speechlike qualities.
  3. The 'Canzona per organo' shows a contrapuntal design for each section, the 'Canzona per sonare' (later called: 'sonata'; c.f. works of Giovanni Gabrieli) exploits stylistic contrasts of metre and tempo and particularly of texture.