The Sonata and Sinfonia Al Santo Sepolcro, RV 130 and 169, are unusual works in Vivaldi’s output. Both are in two movements, an adagio and fugue, and seem as if they were intended to accompany some paraliturgical service between Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday in the chapel at the Pieta. Probably composed around 1730, both are characterized by musical gestures expressing grief, and their contrapuntal textures and rich chromatic intensity place them far apart from the dazzling virtuosity often associated with the music of the Red Priest. In the Sinfonia, in particular, chromaticism is used as a structural element, from the introductory movement to the two fugue subjects — one ascending and the other descending — that intersect in an undoubtedly specific allusion to the cross as an image of the Passion and Vivaldi’s awe at the message of redemption.
Commonly known as Handel’s ‘Largo of Love’, Ombra mai fù is the opening aria in the 1738 opera Serse. Sung by the character Xerxes I of Persia, the vocal part is composed for a countertenor. To set the scene of the aria, there is a nine bar instrumental from the chamber ensemble (composed of a chamber string group and a harpsichord). The slow and melancholy tone is set for the voice to enter freely. The title of the aria translates into ‘Never was a shade’, and within the context of the opera, Xerxes is singing about the admiration and love he has for the shade of the plane trees with a deep feeling of awe and gratitude.
Translation: G.F. Handel, Largo from Xerxes, HWV 40 — Ombra mai fù
Ombra mai fù
di vegetabile
cara ed amabile
soave piú. | Never was a shade
of any plant
dearer and more lovely
or more sweet. |
Originally released by Josh Groban in 2007, “Thankful” written by songwriting powerful house Carole Bayer Sager with David Foster and Richard Page. This arrangement by Mark Hayes is not only an ideal collaboration with our youth singers, but a great kick off to the holiday season.
—
Thankful
Somedays, we forget to look around us
Somedays, we can’t see the joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give
So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day we hope for
What we still can’t see
It’s up to us, to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There’s so much to be thankful for
Look beyond ourselves
There’s so much sorrow
It’s way too late to say, I’ll cry tomorrow
Each of us must find our truth
We’re so long overdue
So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And everyday, we hope for
What we still can’t see
It’s up to us, to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There’s so much to be thankful for
Even with our differences
There is a place we’re all connected
Each of us can find each others light
So for tonight, we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day, we hope for
What we still can’t see
It’s up to us, to be the change
And even though this world needs so much more
There’s so much to be thankful for
—
Ordained in the Roman Catholic tradition, and nicknamed il Prete Rosso – the Red Priest – for his shock of red hair, Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria in D major, RV 589 was probably composed in Venice sometime after 1713 and before 1717, shortly after he retired from full-time teaching at the Ospedale della Pietà. The score was clearly intended for performance by the orphanage’s gifted chorus.
Arguably his most significant work, the score disappeared after Vivaldi’s death and remained undiscovered for nearly two centuries until, in the late 1920s, it was found buried among a pile of forgotten manuscripts. But even then, it still was not performed until September 1939 in Siena in an edition by the composer Alfredo Casella. This was by no means an authentic edition (he described it as an “elaborazione”), as he embellished the original orchestration and cut sections from three movements. It was not until 1957 that the now familiar original version was published and given its first performance at the First Festival of Baroque Choral Music at Brooklyn College, NY.
In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Gloria text is a hymn of praise used as the second part of the Ordinary of the Latin Mass, after the Kyrie. It begins with the words of the angels, as recounted in the Gospel of Luke: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.” The piece is in twelve sections, each distinguished by a different musical setting. Eight of the numbers are composed for the entire chorus; the remaining four feature soloists, singing either alone or with other performers. The wonderfully sunny nature of the Gloria, with its distinctive melodies and rhythms, is sure to brighten not only our return to live performance, but the kick off to the holiday season.
Translation: Vivaldi, Gloria — RV 589
| Gloria in Excelsis Deo, | Glory to God in the highest, |
| et in terra pax hominbus bonae voluntatis. | and on earth, peace to people of good will. |
| Laudamus te, | We praise you, |
| benedicimus te, | we bless you, |
| adoramus te, | we adore you, |
| glorificamus te, | we glorify you, |
| gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam, | we give you thanks for your great glory, |
| Domine Deus, Rex caelestis, | Lord God, heavenly King, |
| Deus Pater omnipotens. | O God, almighty Father. |
| Domine Fili Unigenite, Jesu Christe, | Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, |
| Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris, | Lord God, Lamb of God, |
| qui tollis pecata mundi, | you take away the sins of the world, |
| miserere nobis; | have mercy on us; |
| qui tollis pecata mundi, | you take away the sins of the world, |
| suscipe deprecationem nostram; | recieve our prayer, |
| Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, | you are seated at the right hand of the Father, |
| miserere nobis. | have mercy on us. |
| Quoniam tu solus sanctus, | For you alone are the Holy One, |
| tu solus Dominus, | you alone are the Lord, |
| tu solus Altissimus, | you alone are the Most High, |
| Jesu Christe, | Jesus Christ, |
| cum Sancto Spiritu, | with the Holy Spirit, |
| in gloria Dei Patris. | in the glory of God the Father. |
| Amen. | Amen. |
