Victoria - Tenebrae Responsories - Animam meam dilectam

[miguelastor1]

I think it is "sacred music" because there are part of the Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae (Holy Week liturgy). Today this music is sang a capella, but in Victoria's time there were a group of performers called "capilla" who doubled the vocal parts with some instruments. I don't know if in special occasions this music were sang a capella as today.

[Anna100l]

Thanks for uploading this! It's truly beautiful!

How is this Tenebrae Responsories classified, is it an oratory, or a cantata?

Is it all without instrumentation?

[varghedin]

Animam meam dilectam tradidi in manus iniquorum,

et facta est mihi haereditas mea sicut leo in silva

Dedit contra me voces adversaries dicens;

congregamini et properate ad devorandum illum;

Posuerunt me in deserto solitudinis el luxit super me omnis terrae,

quia non est inventus qui me agnosceret, et faceret bene.

Insurexerunt in me viri absque misericordia, et non pepercerunt animae meae.

[varghedin]

TRANSLATION: I delivered my beloved soul into the hands of the wicked, and my possessions have become to me like a lion in the forest. My adversary spoke out against me saying: Come together and make haste to devour him. They placed me in a solitary desert, and all the earth mourned for me; because nobody could be found who would claim me and be kind to me. Men without mercy rose up against me, and they spared not my soul.