Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina's five-voice sacred motet Ascendo ad Patrem, which first appeared in 1572, is one of several such works that the composer later used as a model for one of his own so-called "parody" masses. And so the motet has actually been rather overshadowed by the five-voice Missa ascendo ad Patrem based on it; it is, nevertheless, a compelling example of the composer's art, amply representing the Roman Church-music tradition as he inherited it during the mid-sixteenth century while at the same time showcasing his own brilliant contrapuntal style.

The Ascendo ad Patrem text, and thus the motet, is designed for use during Ascensiontide. The text is as follows:

Ascendo ad Patrem meum, et Patrem vestrum: alleluja. Deum meum, at Deum vestrum, alleluja: et dum assumptus fuero a vobis, mittam vobis Spiritum veritatis, at gaudebit cor vestrum. Alleluja. Ego rogabo Patrem, et alium Paracletum dabit vobis Spiritum veritatis, et gaudebit cor vestrum. Alleluja.

I ascend to my Father, and to your Father: alleluia. And to my God and your God, alleluia. And after I have been taken from you, I will send to you the true Spirit, and your hearts will rejoice. Alleluia. I will ask the Father, and he will provide another counselor-the true Spirit-and your hearts will rejoice. Alleluia.

As per tradition, the motet is set in two parts. The prima pars (first part) opens with an obvious (but not overly-contrived) bit of text-painting, the word "ascendo" being set to an upward octave leap that appears first in the opening duet between the cantus and altus and then in each of the three lower voices as they enter several bars later (the bassus and quintus-really a second tenor-sing the very same two- layered counterpoint that the first two voices offered, with the tenor acting as a kind of fulcrum between the two pairs). Also of significance in the prima pars is the point of imitation on the text "et dum assumptus fuero a vobis" ("and after I have been taken from you"), which returns to provide the motive for the Christe eleison portion of the Missa ascendo ad Patrem (the opening of the motet, quite understandably, appears, suitably doctored, time and time again throughout the mass). A brief change from binary to ternary rhythm (basically duple to triple meter) precedes the final, florid eighth-note filled half-close to G.

The secunda pars, which begins with the text "Ego rogabo Patrem", is only about two-thirds the length of the prima pars (its opening polyphonic structure is used in the Mass for both Kyrie II and Agnus Dei II). Again there is a brief shift to ternary meter before the final "alleluia" passage. Palestrina uses the same "alleluia" music for the end of both halves, only changing the very end of the secunda pars version to allow for a fuller close to C.

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