A wealth of early sixteenth century copies, printed editions, and even lute and keyboard intabulations, attest to the popularity of Josquin's five-voiced motet Inviolata, integra et casta es, Maria. The motet (in three parts) takes as its text a plainchant sequence for the Ladymass, which deals with Mary's immaculate person: the first part praises her, the second asks for her prayers, and the third again extols her (following the form of "O virgo prudentissima"). The surface of the motet displays a rich variety of detail: duets contrasted with antiphonal passages and fuller imitative sonorities, chordal textures with bursts of individual virtuosity, predictable cadences with surprising contrapuntal progressions. Witness, for instance, the textural sweep of the third section (O benigna), which begins with three homophonic litany-like invocations, moves to quicker waves of repetition on the word "inviolata" (reminiscent of the opening?), then broadens the rhythmic pacing of the four lower parts and allows the superius voice to take melodic flight. Beneath the apparently accessible surface, however, lies a rigid canonic structure and deep numerological symbolism. A plainchant associated with the text "Inviolata" (possibly following the Ambrosian rite of Milan) sounds in the two tenor voices in canon, at the distance of a melodic fifth; the rhythmic pace, however, remains roughly equivalent to that of the other three voices. The temporal distance within the canon decreases gradually: three units of time in the first section, two in the second, and one in the last. In Josquin's time, a listener familiar with the plainchant would immediately appreciate the obvious climax achieved by the gesture; its inner logic may still be felt. The overall proportions of the piece, innately satisfying, may also allude to the Golden Section. Furthermore, the number 12, which in Medieval numerology refers to the 12 stars on the crown of the woman in the Apocalypse (thus representing a crowned Blessed Virgin), also features prominently in Josquin's motet: 12 repetitions of the word "inviolata" at the opening (and six in the last section), 12 measures of rest before the entry of the final voice, and 12 measures of rest before the entry of the cantus firmus in the second section.

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