Vaet’s motet
Antevenis virides was written in honour of Duke Albrecht of Bavaria, a ruler notable for his enlightened patronage of the greatest composer of the day, Lassus. The poem, which according to its text source was linked with Lassus (although no setting by him survives), is an acrostic on the Duke’s Latin name, Albertus. As was by this time customary for such laudatory verse, it is written in Classical hexameters—though particularly convoluted ones—and praises Albrecht’s rule in general and specifically his role as a patron, apparently so great that he could instruct the Muses themselves. Vaet’s setting contributes to the Humanist air of the poetry by subtle control of word-stress in a largely homophonic texture, following both the natural accentuation of the words and the pattern of the poetic metre.
from notes by Stephen Rice © 2009
