Vivaldi, a priest, was a violin master and orchestral director at the Pietà, a Venetian charitable institution for foundlings.
Compositional Technique
Vivaldi often used word-painting in his sacred music, selecting key words to create illustrative musical effects, such as urgent moods or sighing.
Composition History
Vivaldi's substantial church music output, over fifty surviving works, was only discovered in the 1920s when his manuscript collection came to light.
Recording & Production
This album is part of a series of Vivaldi's sacred music, with The King's Consort having made over seventy-five records for Hyperion.
Historical Context
The Pietà, where Vivaldi worked, exclusively trained and used female residents as musicians for its choir, as mixed church choirs were not acceptable in Catholic Europe.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Vivaldi's sacred vocal music is characterized by its consummate artistry, high level of inspiration, and an individual, unmistakable manner of expression.
