IDAGIO | G. Anerio: Requiem – F. Anerio: 6 Motets 00602458137385

Featuring

James O'Donnell
Westminster Cathedral Choir
Giovanni Francesco Anerio
Felice Anerio

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Historical Context

The four decades between 1580 and 1620 saw a significant expansion in Roman musical activity, attracting many native Italian composers to the city.

Composer Biography

Felice Anerio, the elder brother, was a choirboy under Palestrina at St Peter's and later became composer to the Papal Chapel after Palestrina's death in 1594.

Compositional Technique

Much of Felice Anerio's music on this album is for double choir, a popular medium in post-Tridentine Rome, which surpassed Venice in polychoral music production.

Composer Biography

Giovanni Francesco Anerio, born around 1567 in Rome, was ordained a priest in 1616 and later served as maestro to King Sigismund III in Poland.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Both Anerio brothers, Felice and Giovanni Francesco, were madrigalists and applied a madrigalist's care in matching text to music in their sacred compositions.

Compositional Technique

Giovanni Francesco Anerio's Missa Pro defunctis is unusual for its inclusion of the 'Dies irae' sequence, where he sets even verses polyphonically, alternating with plainchant.