Work discussion 3: Pierre de la Rue, Missa Conceptio tua

The “conception” referred to in the title of the third mass in the Mechelen Choirbook, Pierre de la Rue’s Missa Conceptio tua, is that of the Virgin Mary. The nature of her conception – specifically, whether or not it was free from the stain of sin – had been a hot topic throughout the Middle Ages, and was reaching fever pitch during La Rue’s lifetime. A consideration of this mass thus lands us in the realm of theology and ecclesiastical politics, and shows once again how polyphonic compositions, and Alamire’s manuscripts, often played a part in larger agendas that went far beyond the simple creation of musical adornments for the liturgy. This is a mass on a mission.