Erat vir domini

Giovanni Troiano's Erat vir domini is a sacred motet for two-part male voices. The music opens with a flowing melodic line, with the two vocal parts often moving in parallel thirds and sixths, creating a warm and resonant sonority. The Latin text, which speaks of a man of God whose countenance shone with such heavenly clarity that he seemed to gaze upon celestial things while on earth, is treated with gentle reverence. The setting is predominantly homophonic, emphasizing the smooth declamation of the sacred words. The motet concludes with a jubilant Alleluia.