Benedictus Deus

Francesco Stivori’s Benedictus Deus is a substantial motet for double choir, SSATTB and SAATTB, setting a text drawn from the New Testament, likely for a service in the Lutheran tradition. The composer sets the Latin text, which speaks of God as the father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation. Stivori’s music emphasizes this theme of consolation by drawing on the rich resources of his two choirs, creating a powerful and sonorous musical expression of spiritual comfort and assurance. The German translation of the title, which is also provided, suggests its context within the German-speaking Lutheran world where such texts were often sung.