The Complete Motets 19

The forty-three motets in this volume are the counterparts of those in CM 17 and CM 18 for the period 1580–94. The few texts that are not explicitly religious are moralizing. This is undoubtedly owing to the Counter-Reformation fervor that pervaded the court of Wilhelm V, who succeeded to the Bavarian dukedom on his father's death in 1579.

The piety of the court as well as the Tridentine liturgical reforms that began during these years account for the ten Marian antiphons included in this volume. The last of these, a seven-voice "Regina caeli laetare," is one of Lasso's very last compositions. The composer's inspiration and technique are unflagging in these products of his later years. They range in size from single-page training pieces for choir boys to extended supplications addressed to Jesus or Mary.

This volume includes Lasso's only known motet in falsobordone style (a setting of the "Salve Regina") and two motets ascribed to Lasso but previously unknown. Though the ascription may be questionable, they are included here to facilitate further study.