Imitation and Text Relationships in Tomás Luis de Victoria's <i>Missa O magnum mysterium</i>

Unusual musical relationships surrounding the compositions of Tomás Luis de Victoria have intrigued scholars for decades, but their purpose remains hidden. Robert Stevenson has suggested that textual connections can be found alongside these musically similar passages. I revisit this suggestion by analyzing an imitation mass by Victoria: Missa O magnum mysterium based on his motet O magnum mysterium. When trying to understand any intentional textual connections, it is necessary to consider the composer's broad perspective. In the case of Missa O magnum mysterium, the logical starting points are Victoria's life-long involvement with the Catholic Church and the feast for which the source motet was explicitly intended--the Feast of the Circumcision. Musical imitations between the Missa O magnum mysterium and its source motet are found throughout the mass. For example, the setting of the text "descendit de caelis" in the Credo closely resembles the musical material for "Filius Patris" from the Gloria, which itself is an imitation of motet passages set to "jacentem in praesepio" and "Sacramentum." Viewed through the lens of Catholic theology, these and other musical relationships either point to the Feast of the Circumcision or highlight the text of the Mass Ordinary. A few inconclusive examples are insufficient to counteract the undeniable reality: Victoria considered textual connections when deciding which musical material to imitate in his Missa O magnum mysterium.