Within Philippe de Vitry's isorhythmic motet VOS QUID ADMIRAMINI / GRATISSIMA VIRGINIS SPECIES, one can find many different structural devices and relationships. When looking at the cantus firmus in the tenor, we see clear rhythmic organization (colors and taleas), while in the Duplum and Triplum parts, we notice text woven into melodic lines which seem to have some organization of their own. This analysis attempts to identify some of the elements of construction in the motet, and to determine whether or not (and if so, to what extent) they are heard in performance.

As an isorhythmic motet, VOS QUID ADMIRAMINI by definition contains a tenor cantus firmus composed of taleas (rhythmic patterns) and colors (repetitions of the melody). Color A**(bars 1-90) contains six talea which are 15 bars long each, color B (bars 91-157) contains seven talea which are 9 bars long each and one "coda talea" of 4 bars (see score).

The asymmetrical organization of the colors and taleas is most interesting; we do have two colors, but they are of different sizes. The first color is about twice the length of the second, and as a result we have a "threeness" creeping into what appears to be "twoness". Color B conveniently begins just before the first hocket which marks the third section of the upper two parts (as discussed below). True to it's name, color B provides a change in color for this new section.

I found the two upper parts to have three main structural points of interest: motive x, motive y, and hockets. Motive x (see score) is ubiquitous - it is found 60 times between the Duplum and Triplum parts. This rhythmic motive both dominates and unifies the motet tremendously. Motive y (see score) is found only five times between the top two parts, and serves a much different purpose than its counterpart. The motive is used as a marker or warning of a new section or texture; the second third of the piece begins roughly at its first appearance, setting up a feeling of three along with the another device - the hocket.

Grove defines a hocket as a staggered arrangement of rests between two or more voices; a `mutual stop-and-go device' (more simple might be "an echoing device"). The first hocket announces the last third of the piece, and like motive y the device helps to create three sections in the upper voices. The first hocket is also particularly notable because of its text. Regina (queen) is found in both parts strengthening the echo effect by using words and music. All of the hockets stand out musically due to their repetition and because they are offbeat! There are a total of three hockets in the motet all located in the last third of the piece and spaced evenly according to the top voice (see score p. 82). Looking at the text, we see that each hocket falls at the beginning or end of a sentence in the top voice - in the Duplum part, the device cuts across punctuation. The fact that the positioning of the hocket seems to be determined by the Triplum reflects the importance of this upper part.

Of the structure identified above in theory, how much do we hear in practice? In an attempt to answer this question, I listened to recordings of the piece by the Orlando Consort (1991), and by the Sequentia Ensemble (1991). The two recordings are very different primarily because of tempo - in the Sequentia recording the motet is taken nearly twice as fast! One might assume the compression of the cantus firmus as a result of the increased tempo would allow the listener to hear the structure of the tenor line more clearly. I would argue that the symmetry of the tenor line in the Sequentia recording is no more evident than it is in the Orlando recording. The cantus firmus is masked not only by its tempo, but by its weaving into the part slightly above it just as we saw in another of Vitry's motets, TRIBUM QUE / QUONIAM SECTA / MERITO HEC PATIMUR. Furthermore, I would argue that the Sequentia recording, because of its hurried tempo, stresses the wrong elements. With a drastically increased tempo, the Sequentia recording moves the focus away from the motives in the top two parts; these motives are essential in bringing definition and movement to the motet. The "threeness" so clearly established in the Orlando recording becomes muddled in Sequentia. The Orlandos treat the Triplum part, with the independence and prominence that it's structure demands. When listening to either recording, what we ultimately hear are the melodies, rhythms, and structures of the Duplum and Triplum parts - the Orlando recording presents them with clarity.

** Use MCD 1941 for all musical examples except Sequentia Ensemble - For this example use MCD 1523.