Quintus
Fifth voice of 16th-century polyphonic vocal compositions, scored as soprano, alto, tenor or bass depending on the work.
What it means
Quintus (Latin for "the fifth") denotes the fifth voice in polyphonic vocal compositions of the 16th century. At the time voices were printed in separate partbooks named after the voice type: Cantus, Altus, Tenor, Bassus and, for five-part works, in addition Quintus. Depending on the work it was scored as soprano, alto, tenor or bass.
Musical use
In five-part motets, Masses and madrigals of the Renaissance the quintus often doubled one of the basic voices and enriched the texture. In six-part works a sextus was added. The partbook system explains why older editions have no score layout: each singer sang from his own book.
The quintus should be distinguished from the four basic voices cantus, altus, tenor and bassus and from the vagans, a mobile additional voice that changes its range.
Performance practice
When you sing the quintus, first clarify its range: it can lie high or low. Listen to the other voices, for it fills out the texture and must fit into the sound.