In honorem beatae Mariae virginis

Francisco Valls, a significant composer of sacred music in Baroque Spain, offers this resplendent setting of a Latin text honouring the Blessed Virgin Mary. The work is designated as an invitatory, a liturgical chant that introduces a psalm or canticle. Valls's expansive voicing, demanding SSAT.SATB choir, suggests a grand and sonorous conception of this devotional text. The music would undoubtedly have been heard within the context of Spanish Catholic services, contributing to the rich tradition of liturgical polyphony. The jubilant opening text, "In honorem beatissimae Maria Virginis, jubilemus Domino" (In honour of the most blessed Virgin Mary, let us rejoice in the Lord), sets a tone of exuberant praise, which Valls's powerful choral arrangement would powerfully convey.