What does motet mean?
A motet is a polyphonic choral composition, most often a sacred work built around a Latin text and written for voices, traditionally without instrumental accompaniment. Its defining feature is the setting of words in several vocal lines, allowing the singers to exchange, overlap, and develop the text contrapuntally. Although the form has a long history in European sacred music, modern composers have also written secular motets and accompanied vocal works that retain the name. The term is more specific than “choral piece” because it implies a text-centered composition in which individual vocal lines carry distinct parts of the musical structure. It is also more historically specific than the broad category of sacred vocal music, since early motets were closely associated with the polyphonic settings used in the Mass and other liturgical observances. The word is useful because it identifies both a musical tradition and a concise compositional type: a carefully voiced work intended for choral performance. Its French name ultimately means “little word,” an appealing reminder that a large musical architecture can grow from a brief verbal starting point.
nounA polyphonic choral composition, typically setting a sacred Latin text for voices and traditionally performed without instrumental accompaniment. The term may also refer to a secular vocal composition written in a similar style.
- A polyphonic choral composition, especially one setting a sacred text and intended for unaccompanied vocal performance.
"The choir performed a soaring motet during the candlelit service."
"They commissioned a new motet for the opening of the festival."
"Her research focuses on the use of secular texts in sixteenth-century motets."
The standard plural adds -s.
"The festival features motets by composers from several centuries."
A motet means a “little word,” yet it can become an immense web of intertwined voices.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does motet come from?
Motet entered English from French motet during the medieval period. The French word is a diminutive of mot, meaning “word,” and ultimately relates to Latin movere, “to move,” the same root found in words such as motion, motive, motor, and motto. Its musical sense developed in connection with the polyphonic setting of sacred words, especially Latin liturgical texts.
How motet is actually used
In musicological usage, the word denotes a specific vocal form rather than any choral composition. Historical motets are generally unaccompanied, although modern composers may use instrumental support, so accompaniment is not an absolute requirement in contemporary usage.
Easily confused with motet
A motet is a polyphonic vocal composition, whereas a motto is a short statement expressing a principle or guiding rule.