Iustorum animae

Use: General, Funeral
Required Resources: SATB choir
Language: Latin

This motet was premiered at Saint John's Cathedral in Brisbane (Australia) by the choir of Dr. Ed Bolkovac, at whose request it was written. The composer, Dr. Colin Brumby, retired professor in the School of Music at Queensland University, uses the traditional text from the Book of Wisdom to craft a motet of haunting beauty. Skillful use of brief unison passages to introduce phrases highlights the meditative and comforting quality of the Scripture passage.

The text:

Iustorum animæ in manu Dei sunt,
    et non tangent illos tormentium mortis.
Visi sunt oculis insipientium mori,
    illi autem sunt in pace.

is taken from one of the most popular readings at a funeral Mass:

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
    and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
    but they are in peace. [Wisdom 3:1, 2a, 3b]

This very accessible SATB a cappella setting is therefore quite useful at funerals, on All Souls Day, or on any Sunday in November, when the readings turn to "last things."