It was typically written for three voices with each voice singing a different lyric. Lyrics were often written with no specific tune in mind and vice versa. There was no set rhyme or meter. The lyrics were usually independent of the melodies. Further, the three lyrics and the three melodies were seldom related to each other. Harmony and counterpoint were later developments.
The first lyric was usually light-hearted and sung to a fast-moving melody.
The second lyric was usually romantic in nature (often a longing complaint about a cruel lover), sung to a slower-moving melody.
The third lyric was usually a word or phrase such as "Alleluia" or "Ave Maria" taken from Latin plainchant and sung melismatically.
In the motet which follows, the first lyric trippingly describes the various activities that take place in the SCA. It recalls the excited viewpoint of a newcomer at Pennsic. The rhyme scheme is arbitrary, but the rhythm is deliberately designed to be danceable.
In the second lyric I wanted to capture the flavor of French romantic poetry that has been translated into English, so I deliberately wrote without rhyme or meter. I confess I have not tried to translate it into French to see if it can be made to scan or rhyme. (See note below!) I trust it is obvious that the lyric is not really about infidelity, but rather about The Dream.
In the final lyric, I decided that an overtly religious reference would be inappropriate for a non-profit secular organization. (The irony that we recreate the most intensely religious period in Western history has amused me for years.) Still, the motet form clearly calls for a Latin lyric. I selected the scientific name of the great northern marsh elk, a creature that has been popularized throughout the Society.
Copyright 1994 Corrie Bergeron aka HL Brendan Ó Corraidhe
Performed at the Investiture of TSH Gyeneth and Daffydd, Northshield
You probably don't remember me...I played in the Shadowlands (ska Marguerite de la Souche) and I was Anne-timony in Cepheid. Monique (Peregrine) sent me the URL to your motet, and since I'm currently writing my dissertation on medieval French poetry, I thought I'd take a stab at the secundus text.
Mon amour ne me sera fidèle.
Seul avec mon amour je suis sans joie.
Mais quand je le partage
Je reçois mon guerredon.
If I were to think about it, I could probably get it to rhyme; this is just a more-or-less literal translation. I had to add an extra syllable to the first line, and the last two lines really mean, "But when I share it I receive my reward." Otherwise it would have had waaaaay too many syllables! Besides, receiving reward for faithful service is a standard topos of both medieval lyric poetry _and_ the Society.
Feel free to use it, or not; I'm just avoiding my real work... ;-)
Yours in service,
Anne