Ecce Maria

This motet on a Latin text sets a passage from the Gospel of John, celebrating the birth of Jesus and identifying him as the Lamb of God. The composer Pierre Certon captures the momentous pronouncements with music suited to a TTB choir. The text, 'Behold Mary has brought forth for us the Savior,' leads into John the Baptist's cry, 'Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.' The jubilant Alleluia brings this sacred work to a close. It is a profound expression of the Nativity story, skilfully set by a composer of the Renaissance period, offering a rich harmonic and contrapuntal experience for singers.