Dederunt apostoli

This motet is ideal for services during the Easter season or for occasions celebrating the Apostles. Jacob Handl’s Dederunt apostoli sets the biblical account of Matthias being chosen to replace Judas, filling the vacancy among the Twelve. The text, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, describes how the apostles cast lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias. The SATTB voicing allows for rich, imitative textures as the choir moves through this pivotal moment in early Church history. Handl, a master of the late Renaissance polyphonic style, crafts music that is both devotional and dramatically compelling, reflecting the solemnity and divine providence of the event.