The Complete Motets 11

Among Lasso's best known and most widely circulated works are two sets of motets that were composed explicitly for recreational and didactic purposes. Adam Berg published the Liber motettarum trium vocum in 1575, and then he added three more trios to the original fifteen in a 1577 reissue.

The Novae aliquot, ad duas voces cantiones, which appeared in 1577, contains twelve texted and twelve textless duos; the latter may be the only instrumental music that Lasso ever wrote, though vocal performance is also possible. The mainly religious texts in both books were presumably chosen largely to provide edification along with recreation or instruction. The three-voice motets might also be used as service music.