The ‘Caligaverunt’ is a plainchant from the Responsorium de Officium Defunctorum ad Matutinum but here set by Baroti for eight voices divides into two Choirs (CATB and CATB). This ‘Caligaverunt oculi mei’ is an old Responsorium. There are about 138 Responsoria de Officium Defunctorum, Responds from Office of the Dead known and used during centuries in the Office of the Dead. They are all well ordered, this is number 9. The choice of texts and the order in which they occur in the sources all around Europe vary according to local uses! This version of ‘Caligaverunt oculi mei’ is used in the Ambrosian Offices of the Dead from 1470. Also around Milano. But this text is even used in Verona, Monza, Saint-Denis, even with the belonging Versicle number 171 in the Offices of the Dead.
The used text is too a responsorium ad Matutinum Hebdomae, Feria VI in Parasceve, Respond no 9 out of the Matins for Good-Friday in the Holy weekFor instance we mention in 1585 de Victoria (1548-1611) set a total Officium Hebdomae Sanctae: Tenebrae Responsories - Offices of the Holy Week, in darkness - rather 37 pieces are in it and the ‘Caligaverunt’ is a part of it too. But as written the ‘Caligaverunt oculi mei’ here is an old respond out of the Office of the Dead, in the Ambrosian Breviary these Responds 126 and especially here no 9 are only used in the second nocturne at the Office of the Dead celebrating for clergy and people of dignity. In that time it make good use to do a reference in such cases to the Lord’s own “Office of the Dead” at Good Friday! For the ordinary people the Responds 36 “Induta est caro” and 67 “Paucitas dierum” are sung in their Office of the Dead! See for instance Knud Ottosen (ed. 1993 page 210). In this motet Baroti uses the Venetian polychoral style ‘coro spezzati’ mixed with modest imitative polyphonic style. Choir I starts with some paired-voice polyphony: Cantus-I and Altus-I followed by Tenor-I and Bassus-I. Choir II follows in the same paired way, Cantus-II and Altus-II followed by Tenor-II and Bassus-II (bar 1-19). In bar 19 the ‘coro spezzati’ starts with a first culmination in “Qui consolabatur me,” ‘that comforted me’. A second culmination will follow in “Omnes populi” (bar 32-33), ‘all ye people’ and the last culmination (from bar 61) is at the end “sicut dolor meus,” ‘like my suffering’. It is possible to add one or more brass-choirs (2 Trp and 2 Trb) to this score which was normal practice in that time if those musicians were available. This motet is set in e-Phrygian and consist out of 70 bars and is published in Promptuarii musici, sacras harmonias sive motetas V. VI. VII. & VIII. vocum, e diversis... autoribus, antehac nunquam in Germania editis..Collectore Abrahamo Schadaeo...National Royal Library Kopenhagen - Libero I, 1611.