This edition was prepared by Peter Rottländer — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Haec sunt promissa
Staff Notation • Sacred, Motets
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Haec sunt promissa by Claudio Monteverdi — Lyrics
Iam moriar, mi Fili!
Quisnam poterit matrem consolari,
In hoc fero dolore,
In hoc tam duro tormento?
Iam moriar, mi Fili!
O Jesu, mi sponse, mi dilecte,
mea spes, mea vita!
Me deseris, heu, vulnus cordis mei!
Respice, Iesu, precor, matrem tuam,
quae gemendo pro te pallida languet;
atque in morte funesta,
in hac tam dura et tam immani cruce,
tecum petit affigi.
O Jesu mi, o potens homo, o Deus!
En inspectores, heu, tanti doloris
quo torquetur Maria.
Miserere gementis tecum
quae extincta sit, quae per te vixit.
Sed promptus ex hac vita discedes,
O mi Fili, et ego hic ploro.
Tu confringes infernum hoste victo superbo
et ego relinquor praeda doloris, solitaria et maesta.
Te, Pater almus, teque fons amoris
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About Haec sunt promissa
This powerful SSATB motet by Monteverdi opens with a profound sense of grief. The interlocking vocal lines immediately convey the intense sorrow of the text, as Mary laments the imminent death of her son Jesus. The music swells and recedes, mirroring the waves of pain expressed by the mother. The Latin text speaks of unbearable torment and the desperate desire to share in Christ's suffering. Monteverdi’s genius is evident in how the complex polyphony articulates the profound spiritual and maternal anguish, culminating in a plea for mercy. It is a profound exploration of suffering and faith, a testament to the composer's mastery of expressing deep human emotion through vocal music.
