No exceptional technical demands are made on the singer in O vulnera doloris, which is exceptional in Carissimi's work in itself. He may not have had access to many bass virtuosi the way he certainly did with (castrati) sopranos, and was therefore forced to tone down the melodic style if he was to write for them. O vulnera doloris is therefore interesting for how stylistically different it is from Carissimi's other motets, which are generally composed around the musical centerpiece of the virtuoso singer. Taste had turned toward a music that foregrounds the human voice in a long moment of virtuosic triumph. Carissimi and many others responded with unfettered enthusiasm. He stands apart from the composers of his generation mainly because the novelty of the style didn't make him ditch the basic principles of musical craft that had been so painstakingly learned over the course of 300 years. By merely applying a fairly basic constructive intelligence to his music, Carissimi outshines his fellows. O vulnera doloris, for example, is essentially structured like a rondo, as are about 15 of his motets, with a repeating refrain. Unlike other composers of the day, almost all of whom were satisfied with literal repetitions of sections of music, Carissimi wisely varies the music of the refrain each time it returns. The refrain is on the title line of the text, which translates "O painful wounds, unspeakable, immeasurable"; he abbreviates the music at each appearance and later transposes into a different key, keeping it fresh. On the first statement, its tune is a short, memorable unfolding of a short motif; the words are repeated several times and each time the motive is extended. Later on, there are only one or two statements, enough to be reminded of the refrain, and Carissimi knew there's no musical need to entirely repeat it. In the absence of florid melisma in the vocal writing, a simple, clear tunefulness comes across that is quite charming. It sometimes feels like folk music in the intimate, earnest directness of its appeal. O vulnera doloris also has a slight, but undeniable hamminess to it: One can almost imagine the singer mingling with the audience, lifting ladies' hands to kiss them during rests, sitting in peoples' laps, and singing directly into peoples' ears.

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