Deus tuorum militum (1st setting)

This Latin hymn to God, Deus tuorum militum, is a setting for AATTB voices suitable for services celebrating martyrs. The text recounts the earthly struggles and heavenly rewards of Christ's soldiers, asking for their intercession to absolve the singers of their sins. The composer John Sheppard sets the words with an appropriate solemnity, a clear and devotional expression of faith. The music would fit within an Office for a Confessor not bishop, or a Martyr, or a Holy Woman. It has a grand and stately character, fitting for the veneration of saints and the plea for divine mercy.