LatinRecordare, Jesu pie,quod sum causa tuae viae; ne me perdas illa die. Quaerens me sedisti lassus, redemisti crucem passus; tantus labor non sit cassuc.
Juste Judex ultionis, |
EnglishThink, kind Jesu, my salvationCaused thy woundrous incarnation; Leave me not to reprobation. Faint and wary thou has sought me, on the cross of suffering bought me, Shall such grace be vainly brought me?
Righteous Judge, for sin's pollution, |
The 'Recordare' is a duet for soprano and mezzo-soprano. The two women discourse gently on a swaying 4/4 melody announced by the mezzo-soprano over a velvet cushion of sustaining horns, flute and clarinet and a murmur of lower strings. Only a dotted figure in the upper woodwind remains to remind us of the soprano's insistent 'salva me' from the preceding prayer.
Recordare - notice the dotted figure in upper woodwind
There are two episodes, neither of which depart very far from the main theme, and a tranquil coda, with some imaginative two-part writing for the voices.