Agite dies lætitiæ

Celebrate days of joy, the text exclaims, and announce glad tidings for your solemn feast day. This joyful Latin hymn, setting forth a message of thanksgiving and universal rejoicing, is a call to praise God with all manner of musical instruments and instruments of strings, with voices and with trumpets. From the motion of the sea to the shining of the stars, all creation is urged to join in exultation, especially in triumph over death. Giovanni Battista Riccio sets this jubilant text for two-part choir (TB), encouraging a powerful and festive sound.