motet

Definition of motetnext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of motet According to Francisco, the composers represented no less than 30 print collections of solo songs, cantatas, motets, polyphonic works, settings for psalms and masses, a magnificat, a vespers service, a dozen sonatas, and scores for nine operas and other staged works. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024 An early breakthrough came from listening to a traditional singer of the Serer people, whose plaintive melody reminded Catta of a Renaissance motet. Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2022 Philippe Herreweghe led his Ghent choir in a fine performance of Mendelssohn’s motet. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 28 Aug. 2022 As well as hymns, a motet and a sermon, the solemn vespers would include a gigantic two-part oratorio composed by the church’s Cantor—the director of music—with a text taken from St. Matthew’s gospel. Boyd Tonkin, WSJ, 14 Apr. 2022 See All Example Sentences for motet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motet
Noun
  • This is a lovely fundraiser to assist in the preservation of the cemetery, and the day is filled with master gardeners offering advice, madrigals singing, an archaeology talk, refreshments, kids’ activities and lots of lovely spring plants for sale.
    Janet Kusterer, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2025
  • The service and concert will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, at the church, 815 S. Washington St. Castle Singers are vocalists who perform a variety of chamber repertoire, varying from Renaissance madrigals and motets to contemporary pop and vocal jazz.
    Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Few singers today dispatch the aria with the panache of Gerald Finley, who performs the oratorio next week with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, from December 16 to 21.
    Matthew Gurewitsch, Air Mail, 13 Dec. 2025
  • Pike said that writing the aria, which is in contention for Best Original Song at the Oscars, came easily for him – perhaps channeling the genius of Verdi.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • Orff originally wrote it for tenor, that soloist’s single appearance in the cantata.
    Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025
  • Symphony San Jose is presenting the cantata in partnership with several Chinese American organizations, promising a performance of grandeur and a call for peace in the world.
    Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Each auctioneer’s chant is unique, and no two sound the same.
    Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Iranians on the streets have added a new chant to their anti-regime repertoire, calling for the return of Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah who was overthrown in 1979, the BBC reports.
    Jason D. Greenblatt, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The melody and the chorus are infectious.
    Irene Kim, Vogue, 16 Jan. 2026
  • Then, once the song has ascended to its chorus, there is a dove, ablaze.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • There are intoxicating traces of chanson, jazz, chamber pop, and folk.
    Pitchfork, Pitchfork, 2 Dec. 2025
  • There’s no equivalent of Broadway in Paris, and thus no long tradition of musicals done on stage, so many of the French movies are set in actual locations, with seemingly real people who suddenly decide to belt out a chanson or break into a dance number.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • That one is a flimsy piano ballad where the duo’s approach to vocals—strangled, swirled and gasping—comes off more annoying than innovative, like a joke that isn’t funny anymore.
    Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 12 Jan. 2026
  • In the ballad, the hero is betrayed by his cousin, who bleeds him too severely while administering a blood-letting cure.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The lullaby your grandmother hummed while shelling white beans into her apron, her voice low enough not to wake the war.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
  • Celebrities and fans in the comments seemed to approve of Scherzinger's move to making lullabies.
    Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Motet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motet. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.

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