Domine, salva nos

Sethus Calvisius was a German composer of the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. This motet, Domine, salva nos, is written for two equal voices in Latin and draws on sacred texts. The opening words, "Lord, save us, we perish," immediately establish the dramatic nature of the music. The subsequent lines describe Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee, with the disciples exclaiming, "And he rose and commanded the winds and the sea, and there was great calm." Calvisius's setting would have been intended for liturgical use within the Lutheran tradition, offering a concise and powerful musical interpretation of this biblical narrative.