本文附英文譯本
經文曲此歌種（vocal genre）自中古時期已存在。有關「motet」此字之字源，學者有多種說法，但經分析後，各時代的motet作品都有一個共同的特徵：motet是寫給多聲部之間互動的聲樂作品， 故motet一字應是源自拉丁文「movere」（移動）一詞。
不受規條限制 唱者一大挑戰
音樂史中，最初的複曲調音樂（polyphony）可追溯至9世紀的「平行複音」（organum）的二聲部作曲法。後來聲部愈加愈多，但在對位法（counterpoint）及和聲法（harmonization）未成形時，聲部之間的互動是無特定協調的，故有需要在這些聲部下加入一行定曲調（cantus firmus），此調多取自一些古聖歌（chant）中較多人認識的旋律，以幫助音樂在當中確認及統合全曲。不過，這種做法就造就及加速了counterpoint此有系統性地處理多聲部之間互動的作曲手法的發展。有「音樂之父」之稱的作曲家巴赫（J.S. Bach）就是「發明」counterpoint之士。Counterpoint的作曲手法最終取替了cantus firmus。不過，這亦是motet此種志在表現多聲部之間的互動之歌種消失之時。演唱或欣賞motet時，唱者或聽者享受的是各聲部如何即時（real time）用歌聲與其他聲部互動：4至8個聲部之間，可以是你呼我應、你唱我跟、彼此模仿或對立、一部對多部、多部對多部， 簡直是各聲部之間在用其歌聲混戰， 又豈能受一些作曲規條限制？
因此，演唱真正的motet及其俗世版的madrigal（牧歌）對唱者是一大挑戰，愈早期、愈不受對位法或和聲法限制的motets/madrigals，例如Renaissance時期的作品，唱者愈不可以單在跟譜直唱，各聲部一定要知道自己每一句（phrase）、每一個臨時音（accidental）與其他聲部的關係， 唱者本身的唱功亦要一流， 他／她是絕對可以控制其發出來的聲音，以表達出這些音樂中的關係。因為每一聲部都要就當刻其他聲部的演譯 ，在自己的歌聲中作出即時的回應，包括音色（tone color）、咬字吐音（articulation）的模仿，故motet/madrigal這類多聲部聲樂作品，較適合小組唱者，甚至是一聲部一 唱者，亦無需由一人去指揮各部的運作。 再者，Motet及madrigal真正的演譯者是唱者們，歌聲的總和已包括音樂中所有的元素及情感的表達，任何伴奏都是多餘的，故motets/madrigals多是清唱（a cappella）。不過我得指出，時下流行的清唱，他們多是以人聲唱出和音部分，以取代伴奏，此做法雖然是無伴奏的「清唱」，但不是清唱原本的精髓：各個份量一樣的聲部在有意識下用歌聲互動。
宗教聲樂作品 獨立成曲
音樂的發展源自聲樂，因為人聲是最天然的樂器。早期教會是樂理、作曲法、歌種的孕育地，但當時幾乎所有在教會盛行的作曲法及歌種，在民間亦會同期流行相應的一套。牧歌（madrigals）便是民間（secular）版的motet。宗教性（religious）的madrigal，人稱之為madrigali spirituali。那麼，motet 與madrigali spirituali 又有何分別？故有再細分拉丁文者為motet，本地語如德文、義大利文者為madrigali spirituali，但拉丁文歌詞都只可能是來自教會經文，故motet中文翻譯為「經文曲 」。
其實，自巴羅克（baroque）時期，每個時期都有作曲家發表稱為motet的作品，這些都是獨立成曲的宗教聲樂作品，但作品中保留的motet特徵並不全面，有為獨唱及樂隊伴奏寫成的拉丁文作品，亦有多聲部無伴奏德文宗教合唱作品。
The motet, as a form of vocal music composition, has existed since the late medieval era to this present day. The name “motet” has many possible etymologies. Based on what we find in music compositions known as motets over the history of music, although the exact musical form changes over time, there is one element in the form of the motets that seems to be constant: it is a vocal composition in which the different voices move against each other. Hence, the name “motet” is most likely to have come from the Latin word movere (“to move”).
To be highly contrapuntal
During the early development of polyphony in music composition, to hold the simultaneous independent voice parts together as those belonging to the same piece of music, it was a common practice to keep a cantus firmus (a well known melody taken from some older plainchant) in the music as the base line in the music. The writing of the descant part (the different voice parts above the cantus firmus) marked the beginning of counterpoint in western music: practices and rules were gradually developed in the polyphonic writing among the simultaneous multiple voice parts. With these voice parts operating under some set of rules, the role of the cantus firmus as the basic line holding the music together decreased its importance. The cantus firmus was gradually phased out during the Baroque period.
In the absence of the cantus firmus, the different voice parts will need to move against each other under some set of rules. Another way of saying this is that motets tend to be highly contrapuntal (the parts move against each other under some rules) in their compositional style. This makes the singing of motets very demanding on the singers: each voice part is singing against the other voice parts and none of them can sing independently without taking the other parts into consideration. This is because, for successful motet singing, the contrapuntal is not just in how the music is written, but also in how the parts are sung moving against each other. And since the movement of the voices against each other is the essence of a motet, the role of any accompaniment to the singing is superfluous. Hence motets (and later as we can see in madrigals) are sung mostly a cappella. Furthermore, it is more appropriate for motets or madrigals to be sung by a small ensemble of singers. It is even better if there is only one voice to each part. This makes the role of the conductor when performing motets optional.
For motets, the different voice parts are all equal in importance. Musically speaking, the opposite of the motet style is the concertante style of composing in which one of the parts is the leading voice. Here, the word “voice” refers to both the human voice for vocal works and an instrument for orchestral works.
Its development had two parallel roots
The development of western music began with vocal music and this development had two parallel roots: although the Church was the cradle of western music development, almost all forms of early vocal music composed for the Church had their equivalent secular genres. Sometimes, it was the latter that had led the form’s development because the composers had freer hands composing music that was secular. In general, secular vocal works composed in the style of motet are called madrigals. But, then, we can have madrigals with religious themes that are called madrigali spirituali. Then, what is the difference between madrigali spirituali and motets? Here, there is a more precise definition in that motets are Latin and madrigals are vernacular. But in what situation is the lyric of a composition Latin? The lyric must have been taken from the Scriptures, prayers or rituals of the Catholic Church. Hence there is the Chinese translation of 「經文曲」for motet.
The genre motet, as a vocal composition in which the voices move against each other, flourished in the Renaissance period. During this period, how the voices were written to move against each other measured how competent and brilliant the composer was. But as counterpoint itself became the focused technique in composing in the Baroque period, highly contrapuntal vocal works began to disassociate themselves from the name motet even if the work was sacred. It is simply called a choral work especially when the work is written with orchestral accompaniment. Examples of these are the choruses from Bach’s cantatas or Handel’s anthems.
Composers from subsequent eras have composed vocal works by the name motet. In these works, besides all being stand-alone sacred vocal compositions, at least some of essence of the original genre are kept such as the lyric is Latin even though the work is for solo voice with orchestral accompaniment or the work is written in German text for multiple equal voice parts moving against each other and, hence, it is preferably sung a cappella.
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