Canite tuba

Jacob Handl, a significant composer of sacred polyphony in the late sixteenth century, wrote this motet for a six-part choir (TTTBB). The Latin text is taken from the liturgy and calls for a joyous announcement. It urges that a trumpet be sounded in Zion and that the nations be summoned. The message to be proclaimed is the imminent arrival of God our saviour. Handl sets this dramatic text with a rich texture, suitable for a skilled choir, building to powerful pronouncements of salvation. The work is a superb example of the motet tradition of the period, offering expressive writing for a varied vocal ensemble.