Comparison of 4 Music Pieces

[Date of Submission]

Comparison of 4 Music Pieces

Josquin Desprez: Ave Maria

Following the predominant practice of the time, the setting of Ave Maria is a cappella, a term now taken to mean that only voices are used but derived from its literal meaning, “as it is in the chapel.” The opening uses polyphonic imitation, in which each voice sings the same melody in succession. In this style, the voices often continue to add secondary melodies to accompany the following voice entries as at the text “dominus tecum.” In addition to the imitation among individual voices, imitation occurs between ...