Heu mihi

Jacobus Vaet was a prominent composer of the Franco-Flemish school, active in the mid-16th century. His motet Heu mihi for four voices (ATTB) is a powerful setting of a profound Latin text. The composer captures the anguish and desperate plea of the text, which begins with the lament "Woe is me, Lord, for I have sinned too greatly in my life." The music reflects the sinner's disorientation and search for refuge in God, asking "What shall I do, wretched one? Where shall I flee, except to you, my God?" The composer's skill is evident in his sensitive portrayal of the text's emotional weight, particularly in the section where the soul is "greatly disturbed" and cries out for divine succour.