In Gaude Maria Virgo , the pace at which the bottom voice changes pitch is much slower compared to the upper two voices. The bottom voice typically sustains long, extended notes, serving as a foundation or cantus firmus, while the upper two voices move more actively with a pattern of long and short notes, often melismatic and rhythmically varied. This creates a distinctive polyphonic texture where the lower voice provides a slow-moving harmonic base and the upper voices engage in more florid, faster melodic movement