Hora est jam

It is now time for us to rise from sleep, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. As in the day, let us walk honestly, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in debauchery and lust, not in strife and envying. Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. This sacred motet by Giaches de Wert, set for SATTB voices in Latin, draws on St Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. The text urges a spiritual awakening, a shedding of sinful habits and an embrace of righteous living, mirroring the transition from night to day.