Choir of the Basilica: Sicut Cervus

Watch and listen to the Choir of the Basilica: One of the most beloved polyphonic pieces of all time is Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina’s motet “Sicut cervus”, a setting of Psalm 42. The soul’s thirst for the living God, which is quenched by the waters of baptism, is serenely yet fervently expressed in this piece, originally sung as part of the Easter Vigil liturgy. It is now often used when Psalm 42 is appointed for the day.