Rubino: Messa de morti

Featuring

Antonello Dorigo
Antonio Orsini
Enrico Torre
Francesca Proietti
Paola Ronchetti
Picci Ferrari

Pierpaolo Cascioli
Vincenzo di Betta
Don William Barker
Massimo Bisson
Franco Vito Gaiezza
Studio di Musica Antica Antonio il Verso di Palermo
Cappella Musicale di Santa Maria in Campitelli di Roma
Salamone Rossi
Bonaventura Rubino
Anonymous
Miscellaneous
Giacomo Carissimi
Johann Jakob Froberger
Girolamo Frescobaldi
Francesco Cavalli

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Composition History

Rubino's Messa de Morti (Requiem Mass) is one of only two known compositions of its kind in the entire 17th-century Sicilian sacred repertoire.

Instruments

The recording features a Pellegrino Pollicolli organ from 1635, tuned to a meantone temperament of 1/4 comma, with a 45-note keyboard.

Interpretation

This recording reconstructs the Mass within its proper liturgical context, interspersing Rubino's polyphonic sections with Gregorian monodies of the ancient Roman rite.

Recording & Production

The recording was made in various parts of the church to create a physical sense of the ceremonial space, with choral parts in the main loft and soloists in side lofts.

Compositional Technique

Rubino's Mass includes a Responsory, Libera me, Domine, which is not an integral part of the Mass but indicates it was intended for solemn occasions, usually for high-ranking officials.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Rubino's compositional style for this Mass blends techniques from both the 'prima pratica' (Renaissance counterpoint) and the 'seconda pratica' (concertato style), sometimes within the same piece.

Composer Biography

Bonaventura Rubino, the composer, was a prominent figure in Palermo's musical life, serving as Kapellmeister of the Cathedral for over twenty-five years.