Dies sanctificatus

Jacob Handl's motet Dies sanctificatus opens with a jubilant exultation, setting a sacred Latin text for SATB choir. The music immediately conveys a sense of awe and wonder appropriate to the text which announces a holy day has dawned. The composer crafts a rich texture, with the voices weaving together to express the text's message of divine light illuminating the earth and calling all peoples to adoration. The interplay between the four parts is intricate yet clear, building to powerful climaxes that underscore the joyful proclamation: "Haec dies quam fecit Dominus: Exultemus, et laetemur in ea" (This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it).