Glossary
Breviary-a book containing the texts, both said and sung, for the daily performance of the hours of the Divine Office required of monks and priests. In Obrecht’s time there were eight such Office hours: matins, lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, vespers, and compline

Cantus firmus- a Latin term meaning “firm song,” applied to a previously existing melody, usually drawn from the chant or song repertories, used as the basis for a new polyphonic setting

Headmotive-a musical theme sometimes used at the beginning of each main component of a fifteenth-century polyphonic Mass Ordinary, in order to create a sense of unity

Matins- the longest service of the eight daily Office hours in monastic life required by the Rule of St. Benedict, occurring at night and involving a considerable amount of singing

Melismatic- a style of text setting in which each syllable receives many pitches

Neumatic- a style of text setting in which each syllable receives about three to five pitches

Ordinary- the category of plainsong for the Mass whose texts do not vary and are sung almost every day of the liturgical year: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei

Proper- the category of plainsongs and readings for the Mass whose texts vary according to the focus of the feast day

Suffrage antiphon-a short and fairly simple plainsong used in private or votive ceremonies and intended to beseech the intercession a saint or the Blessed Virgin

Syllabic-a style of text setting in which each syllable usually corresponds to a single pitch