Alma Redemptoris Mater, Op. 10, No. 9

This setting of the Marian votive antiphon Alma Redemptoris Mater is suitable for services throughout Advent and Christmastide, and indeed for any occasion where a choir might honour the Mother of God. Isabella Leonarda's motet for four-part choir (SATB) is written in Latin, the traditional language of the Catholic Church. The text expresses a plea for help from the 'Star of the Sea', asking her to aid a people who strive to rise from falling, and to have mercy on sinners, remembering her miraculous conception of the Redeemer. Leonarda's musical response to this ancient text is often characterised by its clarity and devotional warmth.