This almost 600-year-old piece of music is a striking testimony to Ockeghem’s wonderful polyphonic writing. Its origins are from a Gregorian chorale, which in itself was inspired by its musical surroundings. The chorale melody is played by the second cello as a cantus firmus. The basis for this motet is a prayer to Mary, the mother of Christ. The dialogue of the voices requires a highly transparent sound. In addition, the dynamics should be very subtle and always follow the increasing and decreasing level of intensity of the individual voices.

-Hans Erik Deckert

Italian text:

Alma Redemptoris Mater,
quae pervia caeli porta manes,
et stella maris,
succurre cadenti
surgere qui curat populo:
Tu quae genuisti,
natura mirante,
tuum sanctum Genitorem:
Virgo prius ac posterius,
Gabrielis ab ore
sumens illud Ave,
peccatorum miserere.

English translation:

Loving Mother of the Redeemer,
who opens the gate to heaven,
and star of the sea,
help those who have fallen and wish to rise:
You who gave birth,
in the wonderment of nature,
to your own Creator:
Virgin before and after,
Receiving from the angel Gabriel that joyful news
have mercy on our sins.