The 20th-century Hungarian composer wrote the series entitled Parasceve ('Preparation for the celebration') to texts from the gospels of St. Matthew and St. John in 1933 to mark the 1900th anniversary of the death of Jesus Christ. The most frequently heard, best-known piece in this motet series for mixed choir is Eli! Eli!, composed to the words of Christ's suffering on the cross ('My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?').