Much like other composers who have written “Alleluias,” I conceived of this piece as a kind of choral vocalise, and I have used the word as a vehicle to indulge my penchant for tonally fluid chromaticism. However, unlike some other modern “Alleluia” composers, I also include an incipit, “Benedictus es.” The source for this phrase is the Book of Daniel (3:52). I found it in an “Alleluia” setting by the Renaissance composer Heinrich Isaac