Published in Venice in 1610, Claudio Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine (The Vespers of the Blessed Virgin) is notable for its grandeur and opulence. It is a composition on an unprecedented scale, blending grand public music with intimate solo songs and using various colorful obbligato instruments in a daring and virtuosic manner.
Claudio Monteverdi is best known as the composer of some of the earliest and most remarkable works in the Western operatic genre, including L'Orfeo, Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria, and L'Incoronazione di Poppea. He also wrote religious and liturgical music, of which the "Vespro della Beata Vergine" is part of the first volume published in 1610.
At the time, Monteverdi was serving as Maestro di Capella at the court of Vincenzo I Gonzaga of Mantua. He dedicated the "Vespro della Beata Vergine" to Pope Paul V and personally traveled to Rome to present it, hoping to gain an appointment to the Papal Chapel in Rome, as evidenced by his demonstration of a wide range of styles and techniques. Although he did not receive the appointment, he was later appointed to the prestigious position of Maestro di Capella at the San Marco Basilica in Venice in 1613, where he spent the rest of his life.
During Monteverdi's time, the Catholic Church had a strong devotion to the Virgin Mary, and much music was dedicated to her. The "Vespro della Beata Vergine" sets texts for various Marian feasts and includes a sonata and non-liturgical motets interspersed among the psalms. As vespers (evening prayers), the pieces were written with Roman Catholic evening prayers in mind, which were performed around sunset and included thanksgiving for the day that had just passed.
What sets Monteverdi's Vespers apart is the inclusion of 4 concerti sacri and a sonata sopra Sancta Maria, in addition to the 5 psalms, hymn, and Magnificat. These additional parts serve as alternatives to the usual antiphons and provide great liturgical coherence through related keys and the use of the cantus firmus, a Gregorian plainchant used as a fixed voice in the psalms, hymn, sonata, and Magnificat. The musical forces required are considerable, including seven solo singers and a large chorus that can be divided into up to ten voices, as well as a richly varied orchestra with virtuoso parts for violins and cornetti. The final orchestration is determined by the conductor, allowing for variations in each performance.
PDF with Latin text and English translation.
Listen to the Venice Monteverdi Academy and Orchester Lorenzo da Ponte under the direction of Roberto Zarpellon (at the Musik Sommer Festival Pustertal (Südtirol) in the Stiftskirche Innichen):
Choral Masterworks