Ecce panis angelorum

Francisco Valls, a prominent composer of the Spanish Baroque, wrote this motet for the feast of Corpus Christi. The text, a famous eucharistic hymn, meditates on the Bread of Angels, the food of pilgrims, and the true bread of the children of God. It speaks of the Old Testament prefigurations of the Eucharist, from Isaac's sacrifice and the manna in the desert, to the Paschal Lamb. The second part addresses Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the true bread, asking for nourishment, protection, and the ultimate reward of seeing God in the land of the living, as commensals and co-heirs of the saints. Valls sets this profound Latin text for SSB and SATB voices, creating a rich and devotional motet.