Flete oculi

Adrian Willaert’s Flete oculi is a poignant motet for SATB choir, sung in Latin. Its text speaks of sorrow and tears, urging the eyes to weep, the cheeks to be drenched, and the breast to remain unyielding. The lyrics lament a bitter fate, suggesting that weeping itself might only soften sorrows, and that the singer's only concern is to endure a wretched life. This secular work would be fitting for a reflective moment in a concert programme, allowing the choir to explore the profound emotions of lament and resignation through rich, Renaissance part-music.