Composer: Tomas Luis de Victoria

Time Period: Renaissance

Renaissance Period1450-1600

•Understanding the text was the most important aspect to a composition

•Religious officials almost banned music in the Catholic Church because it was too difficult to understand the text

•Composers often used Melismas when writing sacred music

•Many notes on 1 syllable•When melismas were too long the text was obscured

O Magnum Mysterium

The piece is sung in LatinSounds similar to chant but is polyphonicMore than 1 melodic line

Style is a Motet Sacred style based on a chant tune

O Magnum Mysterium

Considered to be the most famous composer of the 16th century in Spain Studied in Rome and music sounds like music by G.P. da Palestrina

One of the few composers of the time to write exclusively for the church, Victoria produced no secular works

Tomas Luis de Victoria