Domine ad adjuvandum me festina

This setting of the Vesper psalm antiphon opens with the plea, "O God, make haste to help me," a text that calls for urgent divine aid. Giacomo Antonio Perti’s SATB setting is ideal for services during Septuagesima, when the word Alleluia is replaced by a verse of praise. The Latin text then moves to the Gloria Patri, a traditional doxology, before concluding with either the jubilant Alleluia or the seasonal alternative. Perti’s music would have been heard in the Vespers services of Bologna Cathedral, where he was maestro di cappella. It is a powerful and dramatic expression of faith.