Vivaldi's extensive collection of sacred music manuscripts came to light when they were acquired for the National Library in Turin.
The female choir at the Pietà was laid out like a normal male choir, with some women singing tenor and bass parts, often at notated pitch.
Due to decorum, mixed church choirs were unacceptable in Catholic Europe, so the Pietà trained and used exclusively female residents as musicians.
This album is part of The King's Consort and Robert King's Vivaldi Sacred Music series, which has received critical acclaim.
Vivaldi, a priest, worked as a violin master and orchestral director at the Pietà, a Venetian charitable institution for foundlings.
Before the 1920s, Vivaldi was not known for sacred vocal music, as almost none of his church music was thought to have survived.
Vivaldi's sacred vocal music is notable for its consummate artistry and high level of inspiration, rather than its historical influence.
