The 4 Motets are a set of choral pieces by German Baroque composer Carl Heinrich Graun. Known for his expressive “empfindsam” style, collections like the Vierstimmige Motetten und Arien, showcase his mastery in smaller-scale sacred music for chorus and continuo.

Considering that his works for chorus and orchestra once enjoyed great popularity, it seemed only fitting to turn our attention to Graun as an a cappella composer. The four choral pieces in Grauns typical “empfindsam” style were first published between 1776 and 1791 in the “Vierstimmige Motetten und Arien”. They, in turn, were issued by the Leipzig St. Thomas cantor Johann Adam Hiller and serve as the only source for this new edition (1997).