Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his career there. For many music lovers, his music is the quintessential Venetian music, evoking vividly the pageantry and theatricality of that special place.
Most of Vivaldi’s choral works were composed for the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for orphaned girls where Vivaldi worked between 1703 and 1740. There were four of these homes in Venice during that period, and they all had elaborate musical programs. The Ospedale where Vivaldi worked was connected to the church of Santa Maria della Pietà, where the performances took place. The interior was specifically designed to enhance musical acoustics and has an interesting oval shape. It can still be visited today on the Riva degli Schiavoni, at the basin of the Grand Canal. The passageway where the young girls walked from the Ospedale to the church is also still there, one story above ground (so they could walk straight to the balcony of the church, protected from public view).
Vivaldi began studying to become a priest when he was 15, and was ordained ten years later in 1703. Because of his red hair he was nicknamed Il Prete Rosso, “The Red Priest.” Though his ill health supposedly prevented him from celebrating Mass, he kept a busy schedule as a musician, including touring with an opera troupe! He lived in Vienna at the end of his life, where he died in 1741.
Vivaldi made several versions of his G minor setting of the Magnificat canticle. He scored his best known version (which we present today), RV 610, for vocal soloists, four-part choir, oboes and string orchestra, which also exists in a version for two groups of performers (in due cori, RV 210a). He based these versions on an earlier setting for voices and strings only (RV 610b). His ultimate version, in which some choral and ensemble movements are replaced by five arias, to be sung a cappella by girls from the Ospedale della Pietà orphanage, was catalogued as RV 611.
Text
Chorus:
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Magnificat anima mea Dominum. |
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. |
Trio & Chorus: Sasha Metcalf (soprano), Darla Tuning (contralto): & Scott Schrader (baritone)
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Et exultávit spíritus meus: in Deo salutári meo. Quia respéxit humilitátem ancíllae suae: Ecce enim ex hoc beátam me dicent omnes generatiónes. Quia fécit mihi mágna qui pótens est: et sánctum nómen eius. |
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaiden For behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me; and holy is His name. |
Chorus:
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Et misericórdia eius in progénies et progénies timéntibus eum. |
And His mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear Him. |
Chorus:
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Fécit poténtiam in bráchio suo: dispérsit supérbos mente cordis sui. |
He has shown might in His arm: He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. |
Chorus:
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Depósuit poténtes de sede: et exaltávit húmiles. |
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. |
Duo: Liz Minchington & Sasha Metcalf (soprani)
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Esuriéntes implévit bonis: et dívites dimísit inánes. |
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away. |
Chorus:
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Suscépit Ísrael púerum suum: recordátus misericórdiae suae. |
He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy: |
Trio: Liz Minchington (soprano), Darla Tuning (contralto): & Scott Schrader (baritone)
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Sicut locútus est ad patres nostros: Ábraham, et sémini eius in saecula. |
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever. |
Chorus:
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Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto,
Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculórum. Amen. |
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forever and ever, Amen. |
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