Caritas, the second movement from Illuminare, portrays a tender season of beauty as the elegant words of Hildegard von Bingen hearken back to the goodness and purity of Eden. The opening measures feature the treble voices weaving “from the depths most excellent to beyond the stars.” As tenors and basses join, all voices ascend together to highlight “pacis” (peace). The piece concludes with serene sustained tones, creating a concert selection to be cherished on any program.

Caritas can be performed with SATB chorus, piano, and solo violin,

 or SATB chorus with orchestra accompaniment. (Optional flute, optional oboe, optional horn in F, optional percussion, piano, strings 2.2.2.2.1 min.)