Polyphony II: “Ave Maria” by Josquin Desprez

Avery Kim, Political Science, 2021

While it was “Ave Maria” by Josquin Desprez’s audible weaving of airy, legato notes that initially drove me to look for a video of flowers blooming, this unexpected video of sheep herding popped up and I found it to be even more fitting. Because of how polyphonous music often forges unity among differing melodies, the clips of the herd growing apart then coming together to continue running towards the same direction resemble this sonic quality. Furthermore, when closely watching a small section of the sheep, they do not all run at the same pace or in line with each other – allowing for some sheep to slightly overtake others, all while trotting in the same general direction, which mirrors how the vocalists’ melodies diverge then collide and complimentarily reunite.