Cibavit nos a 8

This motet is a setting of a sacred Latin text, likely a devotional reflection on communion. The words speak of being nourished by the 'fat of wheat' and honey from a rock, then of receiving Christ from the altar, leading to rejoicing of heart and flesh. Giovanni Bassano sets this text for double choir (ATBB.ATBB, or ATBarB.ATBARB), offering rich opportunities for antiphonal effects and harmonic colour. The polyphony would have been well-suited to the grand spaces of the late Renaissance church, allowing the different vocal groups to converse and build towards moments of profound exultation, as articulated in the repeated 'Alleluia's.