The state motet
Ut vigilum densa silvam cingente corona is one of several dedicated to the Emperor Maximilian II (others are recorded on Cinquecento’s first Hyperion recording,
CDA67579). It appears to celebrate a military victory by Maximilian, on his Eastern frontier (referring to ‘Scythian lands’, which typically meant anywhere from Eastern Europe as far as Mongolia). However, Maximilian was not particularly noted for his military success, and it seems possible that the text was intended to put a positive construction on one of several somewhat unsuccessful campaigns against the Turks during the 1560s.
from notes by Stephen Rice © 2007
