“Woman, behold Thy son…”

The words spoken by Christ from the cross are often referred to as the “Seven last words of Christ”. One such haunting verse is when Christ commends His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, to St. John’s care:

“Woman, behold Thy son; son, behold thy Mother!”

There is something so chilling about a dying man giving over the care of His own mother to His closest friend, and the only apostle who was faithful enough to follow Him straight to the cross.

Touched by this text, I have written a new lenten motet, “Múlier, ecce fílius tuus…” which is now available for purchase. It is written as a three-part polyphonic lament. Suitable for solo voices or for scholæ, this humble work should fit most choirs. This may also serve as a “gateway” motet. Due to its short nature, even modest choirs new to polyphony should be able to digest it with reasonable effort.

I hope, in the course of time, to set the rest of the texts and eventually offer them as a suite of motets. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this first effort.