Selig sind die Toten (Blessed are the dead) is the incipit of a verse from Revelations, 14:13. It is frequently used as a text in funeral music, the most famous setting being this six part motet by Heinrich Schutz, published as no. 23 of his his 1648 collection Geistliche Chormusik. Schutz wrote for a SSATTB group, optional instruments colla parte, and basso continuo ad libitum. Other famous composers, including Mendelssohn, Telemann, and Bach have made use of the text.
