Domine, quando veneris is a plainchant from the Responsorium de Officium Defunctorum Ad Matutinum and de text is set by Luca Marenzio for five voices (CATTB). The Domine, quando veneris is an old Responsorium, Respond and still published in the old Liber Usualis page 1787 and is sung after Lectio III in the Office of the Dead.
This motet (in total 144 bars) consisting out of the Respond and the corresponding Versicle ‘Commissa mea’ is written by Marenzio for five voices in polyphonic imitative style.
The prima parte/first part of the Respond contains 75 bars and ends in D-major. Marenzio starts in homophonic style with “Domine” but the middle part and end of the first part are lively – in madrigal
style - set. Marenzio uses some flats in this part of the motet to express his feelings and writes it in a more motion style as already mentioned with full of movements (bars 45-75) in this first part. The Versicle – set in secunda parte - starts more in the imitative style with Cantus, followed by Alto, Quinto (TI), Bassus and Tenor. This part contains 69 bars and ends in A-major!
In the secunda parte the lively movements in all voices starts in bar 91 up to the end. Due to the normal practices Marenzio repeats from bar 118 the in the Roman rite prescribed part of the Respond, as we saw for instance with Jacob Regnart ( 1540-1599) and Jacobus Clement – non papa - (c.1510-1556) settings. Luca Marzenzio uses all the text in the same way but he omitted the normally sung Requiem aeternam etc.
In the last ten bars of each closing (prima parte & second parte) Marenzio uses nearly the same lines over all parts but ends in a different way D-major (prima) and A-major (secunda). This Respond is published post mortem in Cantiones Sacrae, Giovanni Maria Piccioni, Venice,1616.
Text Domine quando veneris:
R. Domine quando veneris judicare terram,
ubi me abscondam a vultu irae tuae?
Quia peccavi nimis in vita mea.
V. Commissa mea pavesco, et ante te erubesco:
dum veneris judicare noli me condemnare.
R. Quia peccavi nimis in vita mea.
Translation:
R. O Lord, when Thou shall come to judge the earth,
where shall I hide from the face of Thy wrath?
For I have sinned greatly in my life.
V. I dread my judgement and I am ashamed before Thee.
When Thou shall come to judgement do not condemn me.
R. For I have sinned greatly in my life.