Tristis est anima mea
3-Part - Sheet Music

3-part choir, a cappella

SKU: C5.7095

Composed by Padre Martini. Edited by Andrea Angelini. Text: Saint Matthew 26:38. Baroque treasure. Lent, Holy Week. Octavo. Published by CanticaNOVA Publications (C5.7095).

This motet is part of our Treasury of Sacred Music Series, a collection of choral gems about which Vatican Council II was speaking in Sacrosanctam concilium: "The treasury of sacred music is to be preserved and cultivated with great care." Padre Giovanni Battista Martini (1706-1784) was one of the pre-eminent music theorists of the second half of the 18th century. He set the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane for three-part equal voices [see Mt 26:38]. The translation reads: "Sorrowful is my soul even unto death. Stay here, and watch with me. Now you shall see the mob that will surround me. You shall take flight, and I shall go to be sacrificed." While the texture will sound most authentic is sung by women's or men's voices alone, it is possible to have the men of an SATB ensemble sing the lower or middle part. Either way, this piece is ideal for setting the tone for all of Lent, especially Good Friday.