Aspice Domine

This sacred motet for STTTB voices by Benedictus Appenzeller sets a Latin text lamenting a once-rich city now desolate and grieving. The composer reflects the sorrowful mood of the words, which cry out that there is no one to comfort the city but God. The opening lines, Aspice Domine, quia facta est desolata civitas plena divitiis, set the scene with a plea to God to look upon the fallen state of a once-great centre. The composer's setting emphasizes the profound sadness and isolation expressed in the text, making it a powerful and moving work suitable for services or concerts during times of penitence or reflection.