Chori di Angeli

Giovanni Croce, a Venetian composer of the late Renaissance, wrote this expressive Italian motet for a large choir. The text, a hymn to the Virgin Mary, praises her purity and divine motherhood. The composer sets this devotional text with a rich, complex texture, employing a divided choir of eight voices (SSSAATTTBB/SSSAT.ATTBB). This allows for antiphonal effects and intricate contrapuntal writing, creating a sonically glorious and spiritually uplifting work. The music moves with devotional fervor, reflecting the ecstatic praise of the lyrics and the heavenly host invoked.