Filiae Jerusalem

This motet by Jacobus Vaet is for SATTB choir and sets a Latin text of praise. The opening words, Filiae Jerusalem venite et videte, invite the daughters of Jerusalem to come and behold the martyr Maximilian. The text goes on to describe the crown with which the Lord adorned him on the day of his solemnity and rejoicing. Vaet’s rich five-part writing would suit a celebratory occasion, perhaps within the context of the liturgy for a saint or martyr. The composer was active in the mid-sixteenth century, a period of great productivity in sacred polyphony.