Motet notes - Schütz

“Heu mihi” is one of the most chromatic and harrowing of Schütz’ Italianate motets published in the Cantiones Sacrae. This collection was written after Schütz second trip to Italy when he was first introduced to the music of Moteverdi and Gesualdo. Schütz ultimately rejected this style, and his later motets are much more poised and inward. But there is no denying the passion and mastery of these pieces from his early maturity.