Domine, quando veneris

This striking motet by Juan Francisco de Sayas opens with a fervent plea from the Book of Common Prayer, as the singer asks, 'Lord, when you come to judge the earth, where shall I hide from the face of your anger?' The text grapples with the fear of divine judgment and the weight of personal sin, moving from confession to a desperate plea for mercy: 'When you come to judge, do not condemn me.' The music is set for SATB choir, sung in Latin, and its sacred nature imbues it with a profound sense of penitence and hope for eternal rest, as the piece concludes with a prayer for everlasting light for the departed.