Conductus
Medieval Latin song, monophonic or polyphonic, freely composed throughout.
What it means
The conductus is a genre of sacred or secular Latin poetry set to music in the 12th and 13th centuries, which may be monophonic or polyphonic. Its defining feature is that both text and melody were freely newly composed, rather than being based on a pre-existing liturgical melody or borrowed cantus firmus.
Musical use
The conductus arose in the milieu of the Notre-Dame school in Paris and originally served to accompany liturgical actions, such as the procession of clergy, but could also stand independently of the liturgy as a devotional or moralizing song. Polyphonic conductus are usually set syllabically and homorhythmically, meaning all voices move largely in the same rhythm, which keeps the text intelligible.
The conductus should be distinguished from the contemporary motet: the motet builds one or more freer upper voices over a borrowed tenor, often drawn from Gregorian chant, whereas in the conductus every voice, including the lowest, is newly composed. It also differs from organum, which explicitly uses a liturgical chant melody as its foundation.
Performance practice
When performing a conductus, pay attention to the close bond between text and rhythm: since all voices largely carry the same syllables at the same time, the text comes through most clearly when the voices articulate together with rhythmic precision.