Like Visita, quaesumus Domine, this extraordinarily tender and graceful little motet was first published in the 1605 Gradualia. Its seraphic mood and transparency of texture are not dissimilar, despite the inclusion of basses in In manus tuas. In the final pages, Byrd adds a heart-melting setting of the Marian prayer ‘Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis’, setting the seal on the close-of-day atmosphere of the piece.

from notes by Collegium Records © 2006