Loyset Compère's Omnium bonorum plena is probably his earliest surviving motet. It is composed for four voices, and is a fairy long work, with each of its two parts containing five verses of text. The text was written by the composer. It's first half praises the Virgin Mary as transcendent, pure, and celestial, while its second half offers prayers to the Virgin for the salvation of sinners, and lists many composers, including Compère himself, as deserving of prayers to the Virgin.

Musically, the texture of the motet alternates throughout between duets in various combinations of voices, and four part harmony. Within each duet, Compère employs both local imitation, and homphonic movement, often in very close succession. When the texture shifts to four parts, usually a clear melodic line with dotted rhythms appears in the superius (and sometimes in another voice as well), while the other two or three parts provide a harmonic background in long notes. In terms of overall musical organization, the two halves of the piece are differentiated by meter, with the prima pars in triple meter, and the secunda pars in duple meter. There are, however, several brief returns to triple meter within the secunda pars, while the prima pars consistently maintains a triple character.

A closer examination of certain segments of the motet provides a clearer example of how these musical gestures and structural features provide coherency, while reflecting the meaning and form of the text. The work begins with one of its characteristic duets, an extended phrase in both the superius and countertenor. This duet demonstrates the motet's overall propensity for alternation of imitation and homophony, as the phrase opens with imitative rhythms, but shifts into simultaneous rhythms about halfway through (1). Parallel sixths and thirds are commonly employed during both the first duet, and the bass and countertenor duet which immediately follows it, and follows roughly the same pattern. (2) The first dramatic shift in vocal texture occurs towards the end of this phrase, the duet is followed by a very brief duet in the initial voice combination, then a return of the base, and the first entrance of the tenor, creating a four part texture that essentially follows the same pattern mentioned earlier, with the superius (and to, a lesser extent, the countertenor) providing a rhythmically varied melodic line while the other voices provide a harmonic background. The tenor melody, in this case, is taken from a chanson of Hayne van Ghizeghem, De tous bien plaine. (3). The rest of the first half of the motet continues in much the same manner, with three duets (two in the upper two voices, and one in the bass and countertenor), alternating with four part harmony.

The second half, as previously mentioned, is marked by a shift to duple meter. It opens, like the prima pars, with a duet, this time in the bass and tenor (the first time this voice combination has appeared in a duet). The overall rhythmic and melodic character of this duet is somewhat different from those of the first of first half of the motet. The first half of the phrase employs markedly different note values in the bass and tenor, unlike the in the first half where the musical material in each voice of the duet was very similar. The second half takes on an almost canonic apect, with imitation occuring at the octave and fifth; a series of parallel thirds also appears within the imitation. (4) The second section of the second half, an immediately following duet for superius and countertenor, follows the same general pattern. In both phrases of this duet imitative writing dominates, and parallel thirds appear briefly at the end of the phrase. The second phrase of this duet is also marked by a shift to triple meter (5).

Up to this point, the second part of the motet has roughly resembled the first, with alternating duets that themselves feature alternation of imitation and homophony (although the emphasis on imitation is considerably greater in the second half). The first entrance of the four part texture in the secunda pars (6a)and the music that follows, however, thoroughly alter the overall character of the rest of the work. The alternation of duet and four part writing continues, but becomes much more rapid, and the duets overlap to a much greater extent, result in brief instances of three part texture writing. (6) Finally, music of an entirely new character appears, a phrase that consists of homophonic, chordal writing in long notes. (7)

A duet similar to those that dominated the prima pars follows, but the effect of the return to this familiar type of writing is somewhat lessened by an abrupt shift to triple meter (8). The work concludes with a brief, chordal section that begins in the lower three voices, with a more rhythmically differentiated superius part entering several measures later, and conludes with a resolute D-G cadence on "Amen" (9)

To some extent, the reasoning behind the organization of Omnium bonorum plena can be understood in purely musical terms. In the musical sense, it also displays several aspects that seem strikingly "modern" . For example, the consistent use of parallel third and sixth movement in homophonic sections, the conscious employment of contrast between two and four part writing, and the dominance of the melody in the superius line during four part sections all suggest a sensibility associated with a period later than the 1470's, when Compère is assumed to have composed this motet. Partly because of these "modern" characteristics, the work can be immediately coherent to modern ears even when listened to in purely musical terms. However, despite this basic accesibility of the motet purely musical interpretation, there are certain aspects of the music that are not fully explainable, until the text of the motet is taken into account; primarily the major changes that occur in the second part of the motet.

Many of the musical characteristics of the motet mentioned above are made comprehensible or given additional significance through their role in music/text relationships. For example, the alternation of duets with four part writing is a reflects of the form of the text. The shifts from two to four voices and vice versa all occur either at the end of a stanza, or, in some cases, at the end of the second line of a stanza. The texts of the first half of the motet and that of the second test parallel each other in structure and comment intially, with the invocation of the Virgin in the first two lines, and then the introduction of an ida associated with that figure. The pattern of duet and four part writing establishes a similar parallel in the music, with the first two stanzas each being set as a duet, and the third set in four voices. The differences that can be seen in the musical material that exist within this basic parallel (some of which have neem mentioned earlier) can be seen as roughly corresponding to differences in the meaning of the text. For example, the second half of the motet is concerned with earthly things, and with "poor sinners, falling awat from God", whiole the first half establishes mMary as a celestial and transcendent figure. This may explain why the only time a duet in the lowest two voices appears is the beginning of the secunda pars , the contrast being especially stark as the prima pars began with a duet in the highest two voices. The fact that the overall character of the writing is more imitative (and occasionally, canonic) than that of the parallel section of the first part may represent an attempt to muddle the clarity of the prima pars , reflecting the more earthly and less transcendent tone of the the second half; this textual shift may also be undescored by the change from triple to duple meter.

The overall structures of the two halves of the motet diverge after the first three stanzas. While in each case, the alternation vocal rtextures becomes more rapid, in the first half, the basic pattern of two part and four part setting according to the syntax of the text remains in place, while in the secunda pars, the changes in texture no longer line up exactly with the line breaks of the poem , and duets, while still predominating, overlap with each other, and with other types of counterpoint. This loss of the structural thread seems to reflect the major shift in orientation that occurs when Compère begins introducing the names of composers. We have now gone from the transcendent image of the Virgin, to the general idea of sinners and mortals on Earth, and have finally arrived at specific identities. To closely maintain the earlier style of musical organization would be incongrous, and Compère reflect the introduction of individual composers with a series of relatively discrete musical fragments, and then climaxes with the unprecedented four part homophonic section mentioned earlier, in which he introdeces the names of Ockeghem, Josquin, Corbet, Hemart, Fauges, and Molinet in rapid succession. He then abruptly switches to a very unadorned duet in order to introduce his fown name (perhaps a sign of humilty, and the"pure mind" which he speaks of himself as praying with), and returns to four part texture to once again invoke the Virgin and conclude with an Amen.

Thus, the music of Compère's motet functions on several levels. On the purely musical level, it is given internal coherency by its general pattern of alternation of vocal texture, and the parallels in musical organization and differences in musical gesture that exist between the two halves. In addition, the piece can be seen as an overall musical progression, with its rhythmic and textural intensification in the second part, and the gradually increasing variety of the piece, both of which culminatine in the unfamiliar patterns of texture and structure that accompany Compère's listing of various composers. However, the musical contrasts and parallels of the motet take on added meaning when the structure and significance of its text are taken into account; as the shifts in general tone and orientation of Compère's poem are reflected by changes in musical organization and texture.