Descendit Angelus Domini

Ottavio Vernizzi, a composer of the Italian Renaissance, offers this sacred motet for treble voices (SSB). The Latin text, drawn from the Gospel of Luke, recounts the annunciation to Zechariah of the birth of his son, John the Baptist. It describes the angel's message that Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth will have a child in their old age, and that this child will be named John. The text also highlights John's ascetic lifestyle, noting he will drink no wine, and foretells the great joy his birth will bring to many. Vernizzi's setting likely emphasizes the joyous and miraculous nature of this biblical event through its musical language.