In “O Magnum Mysterium,” Tomas Luis De Victoria Primarily uses Polyphonic texture.  The genre of this piece is a motet.  Motets usually have three or four voices; each one with its own distinct melody on either the same text or different text.  The beginning of the piece is fugal where the melody begins in measure 1 but is followed by the next voice six beats later but a perfect 5^th below the original melody.  This piece can be analyzed with common practices because it’s entirely tonal.  Sometimes in this piece, the voices break the rules of common practices, by allowing parallel 5ths and octaves.  This is characteristic of the time period where Polyphony was still the most common style of composing.  When the piece becomes homo-rhythmic, the chords feel much stronger and the polyphony is much more present.  The Bass is the most prominent voice in the piece.  It may not be the “main” melody, but it is a solid foundation while also pushing the piece forward.  Although it mainly stays on scale degrees 1 and 5, the bass motion is what fuels the melodic line as the piece cadences.  The way he blends the voices and the harmonies that he creates gives the piece that “spiritual” or “holy” feeling.  The words of this piece would lead one to believe that this piece would be sacred and sung only in the church, but the beauty and style of the polyphony he uses suggests that it may also have been sung secularly at home by the people.