Christus factus est III in D Minor

Bruckner’s third and final choral setting of the New Testament text “Christus factus est” was made in 1884, the year his Seventh Symphony was premiered in Leipzig. Composed for unaccompanied choir, the piece begins in muted fashion, the four voice parts mulling solemnly Christ’s fate on Earth—“death, even the death of the cross”. Lingering repetitions of the word “obediens" emphasise the unavoidability of the crucifixion, and the heavy significance it carries in God’s plan for humanity. The motet’s middle section contemplates the special status bestowed on Christ for his sacrifice (“a name above all other names”), in music of mounting focus and intensity. Successive key changes and searing high notes from the sopranos evoke a gathering elation, as straining harmonies suggest a sense of ascent to a higher spiritual region. The work’s conclusion, by contrast, is subdued, as though awestruck by the workings of divine providence.