In music centonization (from Latin cento or patchwork[1]) is musical composition via the combination of pre-existing motivic units, typically in reference to Christian liturgical chant.
[1] The concept of centonization was borrowed from literary theory, and first applied to Gregorian chant in 1934 by Dom Paolo Ferretti [it];[2][4] it has since also been applied to Byzantine chant.
[6] The originality of the composer lies in how he or she links these formulas together and elaborates upon them in a new way.
[citation needed] Regardless of whether the application of the concept to other branches of Christian chant, or other types of music is valid, its use with respect to Gregorian chant has been severely criticized, and opposing models have been proposed.
[7][8] The term "centonate" is not applied to other categories of composition constructed from pre-existing units, such as fricassée, pasticcio, potpourri, and quodlibet.