Beata progenies, Old Hall 49

Leonel Power was a leading English composer of the early 15th century, a period when polyphony was rapidly developing. Beata progenies is a setting of a Latin text in honour of the Virgin Mary, a common subject for composers of the period. The text praises her as the blessed mother from whom Christ was born, and her glorious status as the mother of the King of Heaven. Power sets this text for three voices (soprano, tenor, and bass), creating a rich and resonant sound. The motet exemplifies the elegant contrapuntal style characteristic of the Old Hall manuscript, to which it belongs.