Adoro Te Devote - Motet for 3 voices

[guitars2112]

m. 44 is pretty funny. i'm curious, did you just decide to abandon all the rules in that middle section (and some other parts)? i only know basic counterpoint, enlighten me!

[DeLesslin]

Sure, I would love to answer your question!

Well although the piece was inspired by traditional sixteenth century counterpoint, I wasn't attempting to photo copy the style. In places (excluding the middle section) that I broke the rules it was because of necessity (I wasn't able to achieve the effect I wanted without breaking a rule).

[DeLesslin]

As for the middle section, I think the "funny" part you are referring to is the chromaticism (lots of flats and sharps). If you mostly listen to Palestrina then it would sound strange, but I didn't do it without precedent.

The middle section starts with the words "O memoriale mortis" ("O memory of death"; talking about the crucifixion). Traditionally (even to the time of Mozart) passages about death usually have a more chromatic character. You can see this clearly in Gesualdo pieces (look him up

[DeLesslin]

I hope my explanation helps...