dic nobis maria (ssa)

Text and Translation

Dic nóbis María, quid vidísti in vía?

Sepúlcrum Chrísti vivéntis, et glóriam vídi resurgéntis:

Angelícos téstes, sudárium, et véstes.

Tell us, Mary,
what did you see on the way?

“I saw the sepulchre of the living Christ and the glory of his rising:

And I saw the angelic witnesses, the napkin, and the linen clothes”

Dic nobis Maria is a work composed for female voices by Venezuelan composer Miguel Astor. It is based on a fragment of the text of the Sequence Victimae Paschalli Laudes. In it, Astor utilizes various minimalist techniques—canons at the unison and simultaneous theme with its augmentation—to portray the impatience of Mary Magdalene’s friends as they wait for the good news of the resurrection of the savior. The work was premiered in Caracas in 2017 by the choral group Aequalis Aurea directed by Ana María Raga.

Performance Notes

When performing this motet, I would suggest exploring different choral formations in order to clearly hear the different canons and polyphonic motifs. To be able to listen to the Gregorian melodies is important to keep in mind the different dynamics in each of the voices, and to establish priorities in some passages. It is advisable to sing with little vibrato and with a light choral texture.

María Guinand