ABSTRACT
The tonal structure of Josquin's Memor esto verbi tui has been discussed by several scholars in recent years, largely because of the modal ambiguity created by a lack of agreement among its internal and concluding cadence pitches.! The main point at issue is that the motet fails to achieve tonal closure, and thus lacks the tonal consistency we would expect based on the behavior of most early sixteenthcentury motets, including those of Josquin himself. Although D is clearly established as a tonal center at the beginning, and although the majority of cadences throughout the work are on lD, the motet comes to an "inconclusive" close on a 108-5 sonority with A as the lowest pitch? The issue is further complicated by the fact that the prima pars also concludes on a 10-8-5 sonority, this time with E as the lowest pitch.
