Vivaldi is in the first place known as composer of concertos, but he left also an impressive catalogue of vocal music, among which about 50 religious works (and also 50 operas, of which the arias have been revived so beautifully by Cecilia Bartoli). For most of his life, Vivaldi worked in Venice at the Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage for girls with a music school, as a priest, conductor, violinist and house composer.
Vivaldi set the Magnificat, Mary's hymn of praise from the Gospel of Luke, which is a regular part of Vespers services, to music several times. Vivaldi wrote the earliest version in G minor around 1715 for the Ospedale. In the 1720s he revised the work, among other things by rewriting the lower parts for male voices, and by using two oboes in addition to a string orchestra, which take on obbligato roles, especially in the penultimate movement. This version was given the number 610 in the RV catalogue. In it, Vivaldi did prescribe two choirs, sometimes singing separately, sometimes simultaneously, but always remaining in four-part harmony.
Vivaldi divided the Magnificat RV 610 into nine movements, eight for the text of the canticle (Luke 1:46-55) and the last movement for the doxology (Gloria Patri). The text is a hymn of praise which is sung by Mary after she learns that she will be the mother of Jesus. The work is in G minor and although it normally requires two soprano soloists, alto and tenor, in the below performance by Le Concert Spirituel the solo parts are performed by the chorus which only consists of women voices - as in Vivaldi's Ospedale.
Vivaldi interpreted the individual verses of the Canticle with varying musical material, but he kept the work concise and focused.
Listen to: Le Concert Spirituel o.l.v. Hervé Niquet (in this performance, the Magnificat is followed by Vivaldi's Lauda Jerusalem RV 609 and the Gloria per l’ospedale RV 589)
Choral Masterworks