What is a motet?

You’re sitting in a church or concert hall. The choir sings with clarity, layers, and emotion. But what are you really hearing? Is it a song, a psalm, a hymn… or a motet?

So, what is a motet? In short: a motet is a polyphonic choral work (usually religious) that has changed form, style, and function throughout the centuries. From medieval sound experiments to brand-new compositions: the motet has been alive for over seven hundred years.

The Origin of the Motet

The name “motet” comes from the French word mot, meaning “word.” The genre emerged in 13th-century France, when composers began adding new melodies and texts to existing Gregorian chants (organum).

Each voice could sing a different text: one in Latin, another in French, and sometimes both languages sounded together. Medieval composers such as Pérotin (c.1160–1230) and Guillaume de Machaut (c.1300–1377) created early motets that were polyphonic and multilayered in meaning. Latin often pointed to the church, while the vernacular introduced worldly themes such as love or politics. Together, these layers formed a musical and symbolic whole full of meaning for medieval listeners.

The Golden Age of the Motet

In the Renaissance, the motet became more refined and more explicitly religious. The texts were usually in Latin, drawn from the Bible or liturgy. Polyphony blossomed: each voice had its own melodic line, woven into a unified whole.

Composers such as Josquin des Prez (c.1450–1521) and Orlando di Lasso (c.1532–1594) made the motet one of the most beloved forms in both churches and courts. The motets of Lassus, well known to Cappella Amsterdam, are prime examples of High Renaissance polyphony: technically complex yet deeply expressive.

Many motets from this period, like those of Lassus, were not sung as continuous “concert works” as we hear them today. Instead, they were spread throughout the liturgical year and collected in (often beautifully illuminated) manuscripts or cycles. Often there was thematic or liturgical coherence—such as a series written for Holy Week—but they were intended for individual moments in the Mass, not to be performed all in a row. Only in the Baroque and later eras did we encounter more large-scale choral works conceived as continuous listening experiences (think of Bach’s Mass in B Minor or, much later, Pärt’s Kanon Pokajanen).

From Grandeur to Clarity

In the Baroque period, motets were sometimes accompanied by instruments. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) wrote six famous motets still often performed today, such as Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, typically supported by basso continuo.

In the Classical period the motet became rarer, giving way to other vocal forms, though composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) and Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) did not let it vanish completely.

Rediscovered and Reinvented

In the Romantic era, the motet suddenly returned to life. Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) rediscovered Bach’s motets and composed new works in the same tradition.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, composers continued to embrace the form for their own styles: Francis Poulenc (1899–1963) gave the motet rich, intense harmonies; Arvo Pärt (1935) sought meditative simplicity; and James MacMillan (1959) added modern sonorities and spiritual texts.

What Makes a Motet a Motet?

We can describe the motet with three core features:

• Polyphonic: often a cappella, sometimes with instrumental accompaniment.

• Text-based: usually religious, though secular motets also exist.

• Flexible form: no fixed structure, leaving much room for creativity.

Todays Motet

The motet is very much alive. Choral sounds from centuries past still inspire both composers and listeners. Whether heard in an ancient church or a modern concert hall, the motet continues to surprise and renew itself.