Agnus Dei (music) Agnus Dei (music) Agnus Dei, referring to the Christian theological concept of the Lamb of God and the associated liturgical text from the Roman Catholic Latin Mass, has been set to music by many composers, as it is normally one of the movements or sections in a sung Mass setting. However, sometimes it stands alone, e.g. it provides the lyrics for Samuel Barber's "Agnus Dei", the choral arrangement of his "Adagio for Strings". The Agnus Dei is a setting of the "Lamb of God" litany, based on John the Baptist's reference in to Jesus ("Behold the Lamb of God that
Requiem for a Tribe Brother reprise of the "Hosannas" from the previous movement. In common with the second movement, the "Agnus Dei" is a slow chorale, featuring a highly pungent harmonic language and many unusual shifts of key. This movement features two soprano soli which float above the rest of the choir throughout. A fast and fiery dance primarily for tenors, built on an ostinato figure in the basses. Towards the end of the movement, there is a brief reprise of material from the opening "Requiem aeternam". The serene concluding movement, in C major, derives its melody from the opening of the "Song of Hope"