All of Johannes Ciconia's motets were composed for specific official occasions, so naturally his most arrogantly rational, royal music is found there. O felix templum jubila sounds designed to flatter a few and intimidate everyone else; it is music as an ornament to power. It's said to be in honor of the Bishop of Padua Stefano Carrara. The text is about the consecration of a glorious temple (probably figurative) so it's assumed it was for his consecration in April 1402. Imagine how suffocating the atmosphere probably was at the first performance. It's only something in Ciconia's talent—a playfulness in the melodies with their constant juggling of rhythms—that makes it captivating and not repulsive. O felix is aggressively angular with lines built of chained-together, motto-like motifs. The guiding principle is of repetition and varied reiteration; the short fanfare-like mottos are passed back and forth in several ways between solo parts (top to bottom), usually culminating dramatically with a phrase played in bold homorhythm. The total effect is also reminiscent, oddly enough, of the blues. There's a sense that Ciconia, who inserted his own name in the text, was fulfilling his duty while asserting the ultimate triumph of music over its origins. Stefano who?

© All Music Guide