Caligaverunt oculi mei

These words express profound sorrow and desolation, 'My eyes have grown dim with weeping; he who should have comforted me is far from me.' The text, a responsory from Tenebrae services, continues with an appeal to all peoples and passers-by to witness if any pain can equal this grief. Paolo Aretino sets this Latin text for a substantial choir, combining the warmth of TTBB with the brilliance of SSTB voices. The motet aims to convey the intense pathos of the lament through its rich choral textures.