Isorhythmic Motet Analysis

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The title of the isorhythmic motet is “Felix virgo/ Inviolata genitrix/ Ad te suspiramus” and is composed by Guillaume de Machaut. The structure of this motet is an isorhythmic motet in that it is made up of two poems where the motet gets its lyrics. The translation of the motet title is “Happy Virgin/ Inviolate mother/ To you” in reference to the Virgin Mother Mary. The last words of the title “...Ad te suspiramus” is a song that was made to the Virgin Mary to come and give support and to help those who were suffering, and when Machaut wrote his motet he is asking the Virgin Mary for support and help to those who are being hurt from the Siege of Rheims in 1360.
This motet is organized into three sections. First section is the Introitus,
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They are similar in the way that the first part of the talea for the tenor from mm. 41 to mm. 58 is the exact same as the second part of the talea for the contratenor from mm. 59 to mm. 110. Just like the previous way there is another talea repeat that occures, and that is when the first part of the talea for the contratenor mm. 41 to mm. 58 is the exact same for the second part of the talea for the tenor from mm. 59 to mm. 110. Since the first statement of taleas is split that way that means that the tales for the fist part of the tenor and the second part of the contratenor and the second part of the tenor and the first part of the contratenor the notes and color of the taleas are the exact same as well. In the motet the voices have their own part and each part complements the other. It can be seen in the first statement of color in the two top voice, triplum and motetus, in mm.. 41 to mm. 42 the motetus is only singing two notes and the triplum is singing multiple notes over the two sustained notes in the motetus. This causes the motet to have a constant beat playing even when one voice is stopped or is sustained that the other voice is going to move and complement the sustained voice. Besides specific measures that complement each other the triplum and motetus have the same note

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