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This work creates an ethereal and otherworldly atmosphere as demanded by the beautiful text upon which it is written. Composed in the thirteenth century by St. Thomas Aquinas as a Vespers antiphon for Corpus Christ, this text speaks of the manner in which something seemingly earthly and tangible can be a foretaste of something far greater. 
 
O sacrum convivium, in quo Christus sumitur; recolitur memoria passionis ejus; mens impletur gratia; et futurae gloriae nobis pignus datur.
 
O sacred banquet, wherein Christ is received; the memorial of his passion is renewed; the mind is filled with grace; and a pledge of future glory is given to us.
 
The musical language of this work pays tribute—albeit in a very faint way—to 20th century French composer, Olivier Messiaen, whose sumptuous motet by the same title has become a staple of the contemporary choral repertoire. This present work is in the same key, although it is enharmonically respelled as G-flat Major rather than F-sharp Major. The present work does not quote Messiaen in any direct way, and the musical language leans more toward the traditional tonal system than towards Messiaen’s modes of limited transposition. However, it is hoped that this work is able to evoke something of the transcendental nature of Messiaen’s work.