He who trusts in ladies fair

Franz Xaver Eisenhofer's TTBB setting of He who trusts in ladies fair is a sacred canon that humorously explores the fleeting nature of trust placed in fickle affections. The text, originating from a secular tradition, is here repurposed with a moralizing bent. Eisenhofer employs the contrapuntal nature of canon to emphasize the repetitive and ultimately empty pursuit of such transient loyalty. The English lyrics provide a clear, if lighthearted, message about the instability of relying on inconstant sources of comfort, comparing it to building on air or chasing the everchanging wind.