Imitative polyphonic density and cadential plan for two motets of the mid sixteen-century

“Magnum haereditatis mysterium” a quattro is one of Willaert’s few motets featuring a migrating cantus firmus. By means of a converging strategy involving motivic and cadencial analysis, we found that some words or expressions are intensified by imitative treatment of motives. Two passages of the text are highlighted: templum dei factus est uterus nesciens virum and non est pollutus ex ea carnem assumens, the latter revealing a higher imitative density and constituting the dramatic core of the motet. “Venit vox de coelo” of Clemens non Papa on the passage of the Bible referring to Saul’s conversion don’t has a cantus firmus, but features a complex imitative polyphonic fabric. One example is particularly eloquent: that which announces the dramatic section, “Shaul, Shaul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads” by means of a semi-perfect cadence with a double cantizans-tenorizans parallel-third movement, in a contrasting remodeling of the imitative structure. For both motets the concepts of “Modular Analysis” (Schubert, 2007), “sound grouping” (Nogueira, 2014), “fuga cell” (Milson, 2006), “motivicity” (Rifkin, 1997) and the identification of phrases from the soggetto (Rivera, 1993) were all central to the structural analysis. Cadence plans and mode analysis were based on Meier (1988) and Smith (2011). The attributions of syllabic and melodic inflections for both motets were evaluated with primary sources of manuscripts and prints indicate in bibliographic references.