In the 15th century, the mass was the dominant musical form, the Cantus magnus as opposed to the minor genre of the secular chansonnette. Music reflected the occasion for which it was destined; and in this respect, the Missa ‘Pange lingua’ of Josquin Desprez imposes its presence as a model of solemnity. Composed for Corpus Christi, the celebration of the Host, this mass demonstrates the full splendour polyphony can attain when it makes use of plainchant motifs.
