Deus misereatur nostri

Melchior Vulpius’s Deus misereatur nostri is a powerful motet for double choir, SSATTBB. The Latin text, taken from Psalm 67, is a prayer for God’s mercy and blessing, that His ways may be known throughout the earth. Vulpius crafts a rich and varied texture, with the two choirs often engaging in dialogue or providing antiphonal responses. The music moves with a dignified, devotional character, enhancing the hopeful and confident supplications of the text. From the opening pleas for mercy to the joyful affirmation that all nations will praise God and the earth yield its increase, this motet offers a compelling musical setting of a universal prayer for divine favour and guidance.