They were called "Lauds" and they had a rude directness and unlettered force which the Latin hymns never possessed.

Presently the disciplinati became known as Laudesi.

The master maker of "Lauds" was Jacopone da Todi and his most significant production took the form of a dialogue between Mary and the Savior on the cross, followed by the lamentation of the mother over her Son.

Mary at one point appeals to Pilate, but is interrupted by the chorus of Jews, crying "Crucify him!" Many other "Lauds," however, were rather more in the manner of short songs than in that of the subsequently developed cantata.

The music employed was without doubt that of the popular songs of the time.