Vespro della Beata Vergine

Monteverdi, who was born in Cremona in 1567, was a court musician for the Dukes of Gonzaga in Mantua from 1590 to 1612. He began as a viol player under Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga,[2] and advanced to become his leader, maestro della musica, in late 1601.[3] He was responsible for the duke's sacred and secular music, in regular church services and soirées on Fridays and for extraordinary events.[4] During this time, the opera genre developed, first as court entertainment but later as public musical theatre.[5] The first work now considered as an opera is Jacopo Peri's Dafne of 1597. In the new genre, a complete story was told through characters, and in addition to choruses and ensembles, the vocal parts included recitative, aria and arioso.[6] Monteverdi's first opera is L'Orfeo which premiered in 1607. The duke was quick to recognise the potential of this new musical form and its potential for bringing prestige to those willing to sponsor it.[7]

Monteverdi wrote the movements of the Vespers piece by piece, while responsible for the ducal services which were held at the Santa Croce chapel at the palace.[8] He completed the large-scale work in 1610. Probably aspiring to a better position, the composition demonstrated his abilities as a composer in any style of his time.[9] The setting was Monteverdi's first published sacred composition after his initial publications nearly thirty years before and stands out for its assimilation of both old and new styles.[10]

The basilica of St. Barbara, the ducal palace church at Mantua

The liturgical vespers is an evening prayer service according to the Catholic Officium Divinum (Divine Office) of Monteverdi's time, and is in Latin, as were all services of the Catholic Church at the time. Vespers remained structurally unchanged for 1,500 years. The regular prayer service contained five psalms, changing with the liturgical year, the hymn "Ave maris stella", and the Magnificat.[11] The psalms for Marian feasts were the five psalms that Monteverdi set in his work, the first being Psalm 110 in Hebrew counting, but known to Monteverdi as Psalmus 109 in the Vulgate:

The individual psalms and the Magnificat are concluded by the doxology Gloria Patri. Variable elements are antiphons, inserted before each psalm and the Magnificat, which reflect the specific feast and connect the Old Testament psalms to Christian theology.[12] Vespers are traditionally framed by the opening versicle and response from Psalm 70, and the closing blessing.[13]

On ordinary Sundays, vespers were sung in Gregorian chant. On high holidays, such as the feast day of a patron saint, elaborate concertante music was performed. In his Vespers, Monteverdi offered such music without necessarily expecting that all of it would be performed in a given service.[14]

Monteverdi deviated from the typical vespers liturgy by adding motets (concerti), alternating with the psalms. Scholars debate if they were meant to replace antiphons[15] or rather as embellishments of the preceding psalm.[16] He also included a Marian litany, "Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis" (Holy Mary, pray for us).[17] All liturgical texts are set using their psalm tones in Gregorian chant, often as a cantus firmus.[18]

Monteverdi's intentions have been debated among musicologists.[19] Graham Dixon suggests that Monteverdi's setting is more suited for use for the feast of Saint Barbara, claiming, for example, that the texts taken from Song of Songs are applicable to any female saint but that a dedication to fit a Marian feast made the work more "marketable".[20][21]

Title page of the part book for Cantus (soprano)

The first mention of the publication is in a letter by Monteverdi's assistant, Bassano Casola, to Cardinal Ferdinando Gonzaga, the duke's younger son, dated July 1610. Casola described the music, mass and vespers, as in the process of being printed, and announced that Monteverdi would travel to Rome to personally dedicate the publication to the pope in the fall.[22] The work was done in Venice, then an important centre for music printing, by Ricciardo Amadino,[22] who had published Monteverdi's opera L'Orfeo in 1609. While the opera was published as a score, the vespers music appeared as a set of partbooks.[23] It was published together with a separate composition, a mass called the Missa in illo tempore, which parodied a motet by Nicolas Gombert, "In illo tempore loquante Jesu".[22] The cover describes both works: "Sanctissimae Virgini Missa senis vocibus ad ecclesiarum choros, ac Vespere pluribus decantandae cum nonnullis sacris concentibus ad Sacella sive Principum Cubicula accommodata" (Mass for the Most Holy Virgin for six voices for church choirs, and vespers for several voices with some sacred songs, suitable for chapels and ducal chambers).[22]

One of the partbooks contains the continuo and provides a kind of short score for the more complicated numbers:[23] it gives the title of the Vespers as: "Vespro della Beata Vergine da concerto composta sopra canti firmi" (Vesper for the Blessed Virgin for concertos, composed on cantus firmi).[24] Monteverdi dedicated the work to Pope Paul V who had recently visited Mantua,[25] and dated the dedication 1 September 1610.[26] The schedule seems to have resulted in some of the numbers being printed in haste,[27] and some corrections had to be made. Monteverdi visited Rome as anticipated in October 1610, and appears to have delivered a copy to the pope, at least the music is in the papal library. It is not clear whether he was honoured with a papal audience.[3][28]

An alto part from the Magnificat (left), and the instrumental parts in that movement (right)

Monteverdi's notation is still in the style of Renaissance music, for example regarding the duration of notes and the absence of bar lines. It poses challenges to editors adopting the current system of notation, which was basically established about a half century after the music was written.[29]

After the original print, the next time that parts from the Vespers were published was in an 1834 book by Carl von Winterfeld devoted to the music of Giovanni Gabrieli. He chose the beginning of the Dixit Dominus and of the Deposuit from the Magnificat, discussing the variety of styles in detail. Luigi Torchi published the Sonata as the first complete movement from the Vespers at the turn of the 20th century.[30] The first modern edition of the Vespers appeared in 1932 as part of Gian Francesco Malipiero's edition of Monteverdi's complete works. Two years later, Hans F. Redlich published an edition which dropped two psalms, arranged the other movements in different order, and implemented the figured base in a complicated way. [31] In 1966, Gottfried Wolters edited the first critical edition.[32][33] Critical editions were published, among others, by Clifford Bartlett in 1986,[33] Jerome Roche in 1994,[23] and Uwe Wolf in 2013,[33][34] while Antonio Delfino has edited the Vespers for a complete edition of the composer's works.[33]

The historical record does not indicate whether Monteverdi actually performed the Vespers in Mantua or in Rome, where he was not offered a post.[9][3] He assumed the position of maestro di cappella at St Mark's Basilica in Venice in 1613, and a performance there seems likely. Church music in Venice is well documented, and performers can draw information for historically informed performances from that knowledge, for example that Monteverdi expected a choir of all male voices.[35]

The Vespers is monumental in scale and requires a choir large and skillful enough to cover up to ten vocal parts, split into separate choirs, and seven soloists. Solo instrumental parts are written for violin and cornett. Antiphons preceding each psalm and the Magnificat, sung in plainchant, would vary with the occasion.[36] Some scholars have argued that the Vespers was not intended as a single work but rather as a collection to choose from.[9]

The edition by Redlich was the basis for performances in Zurich in 1935 and of parts in New York in 1937, among others. It was printed in 1949 and used for the first recording in 1953.[37] The first recording of the work with added antiphons was conducted in 1966 by Jürgen Jürgens.[38] Recent performances have usually aimed to provide the complete music Monteverdi published.[9]

Monteverdi's unique approach to each movement of the Vespers earned the composition a place in history.[39] The work not only presents intimate, prayerful moments within its monumental scale, but it also incorporates secular music in this decidedly religious performance, and its individual movements present an array of musical forms – sonata, motet, hymn, and psalm – without losing focus. The musicologist Jeffrey Kurtzman, who edited a publication of the work for Oxford University Press,[40] notes: "... it seems as if Monteverdi were intent in displaying his skills in virtually all contemporary styles of composition, using every modern structural technique".[18] Monteverdi achieves overall unity by building each movement on the traditional Gregorian plainchant for each text, which becomes a cantus firmus in Monteverdi's setting.[10] This "rigorous adhesion to the psalm tones" is similar to the style of Giovanni Giacomo Gastoldi, who was choirmaster at the Basilica palatina di Santa Barbara at the ducal palace in Mantua.[41]

Monteverdi's composition is structured in 13 sections.[36][34] The "Ave maris stella" is in seven stanzas set in different scoring, with interspersed ritornelli. The Magnificat is in twelve movements of different scoring, which Monteverdi supplied in two versions.

The table shows the section numbers according to the 2013 edition by Carus,[34] then the function of the section within the vespers, its text source, and the beginning of the text in both Latin and English. The column for the voices has abbreviations SATB for soprano, alto, tenor and bass. A repeated letter means that the voice part is divided, for example TT means "tenor 1 and tenor 2". The column for instruments often contains only their number, because Monteverdi did not always specify the instruments. The basso continuo plays throughout but is listed below (as "continuo") only when it has a role independent of the other instruments or voices. The last column lists the page number of the beginning of the section in the Carus edition.

The work opens with the traditional versicle and response for vespers, the beginning of Psalm 70 (Psalm 69 in the Vulgate), Deus in adjutorium meum intende (Make haste, O Lord, to deliver me),[42] sung by a solo tenor, with the response from the same verse, Domine ad adjuvandum me festina (Make haste to help me, o Lord),[42] sung by a six-part choir. The movement is accompanied by a six-part orchestra with two cornettos, three trombones (which double the lower strings), strings, and continuo.[43]

The music is based on the opening toccata from Monteverdi's 1607 opera L'Orfeo, to which the choir sings a falsobordone recitation on the same chord.[44] The music has been described as "a call to attention" and "a piece whose brilliance is only matched by the audacity of its conception".[45]

The first psalm is Psalm 110, beginning Dixit Dominus Dominum meum (The LORD said unto my Lord). Monteverdi set it for a six-part choir with divided sopranos and tenors, and six instruments, prescribing sex vocibus & sex instrumentis. The first tenor begins alone with the cantus firmus. The beginnings of verses are often in falsobordone (a style of recitation), leading to six-part polyphonic settings.[18]

The first motet begins Nigra sum, sed formosa (I am black, but beautiful), taken from the Song of Songs. Monteverdi set it for tenor solo in the new style of monody (a melodic solo line with accompaniment).[46]

The second psalm is Psalm 113, beginning Laudate pueri Dominum (literally: 'Praise, children, the Lord', in the KJV: 'Praise ye the Lord, O ye servants of the Lord'). Monteverdi wrote eight vocal parts and continuo. The second tenor begins alone with the cantus firmus.[18]

The second motet begins Pulchra es (You are beautiful) from the Song of Songs. Monteverdi set it for two sopranos, who are often in thirds.[46]

The third psalm is Psalm 122, beginning Laetatus sum (literally: 'I am glad'), a pilgrimage psalm. The music begins with a walking bass, which the first tenor enters with the cantus firmus. The movement is based on four patterns in the bass line and includes complex polyphonic settings and duets.[18]

The third motet begins Duo Seraphim (Two angels were calling one to the other), a text combined from Isaiah 6:2–3 and the First Epistle of John, 5:7. Monteverdi set it for three tenors. The first part, talking about the two angels, is a duet. When the text turns to the epistle mentioning the Trinity, the third tenor joins. They sing the text "these three are one" in unison. The vocal lines are highly ornamented.[46]

The fourth psalm is Psalm 127, beginning Nisi Dominus (Except the Lord [build] the house). Monteverdi set it for two tenors singing the cantus firmus and two four-part choirs, one echoing the other in overlapped singing.[47]

The fourth motet begins Audi coelum verba mea (Hear my words, Heaven), an anonymous liturgical poem. It is set for two tenors, who sing in call and response (prima ad una voce sola), and expands to six voices when the text reaches the word omnes (all).[48]

The fifth psalm is Psalm 147, beginning Lauda Jerusalem (Praise, Jerusalem), set for two three-part choirs (SAB) and tenors singing the cantus firmus.[46]

The sonata is an instrumental movement with soprano singing of a cantus firmus from the Litany of Loreto (Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis – Holy Mary, pray for us), with rhythmic variants.[49] The movement opens with an instrumental section comparable to a pair of pavane and galliard, with the same material first in even, then in triple metre. The vocal line appears eleven times, while the instruments play uninterrupted virtuoso music reminiscent of vocal parts in the motets.[50]

Gregorian chant of "Ave maris stella"

The penultimate section is devoted to the Marian hymn "Ave maris stella" from the 8th century. Its seven stanzas are set in different scoring. The melody is in the soprano in all verses except verse 6, which is for tenor solo. Verse 1 is a seven-part setting. Verses 2 and 3 are the same vocal four-part setting, verse 2 for choir 1, verse 3 for choir 3. Similarly, verses 4 and 5 are set for soprano, first soprano 1, then soprano 2. Verses 1 to 5 are all followed by the same ritornello for five instruments. Verse 7 is the same choral setting as verse 1, followed by Amen.[51]

The hymn setting has been regarded as conservative, with the chant melody in the upper voice throughout, but variety is achieved by different numbers of voices and interspersion of a ritornello. The instruments are not specified, to provide further variety. The last stanza repeats the first for formal symmetry.[46]

The last movement of a vespers service is the Magnificat. Monteverdi devotes a movement to every verse of the canticle, and two to the doxology. Depending on the mood of the text, the movements are scored for a choir of up to seven voices, in solo, duo or trio singing.[52] Monteverdi uses the initium of the Magnificat tone in every movement, which provides great harmonic variety.[46]

The publication contains a second setting of the Magnificat for six voices and continuo accompaniment.[23]

Viola da brazzo on a fresco by Gaudenzio Ferrari in Santa Maria dei Miracoli, c. 1535

Books

• Carter, Tim (2002). Monteverdi's Musical Theatre. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-09676-7.
• Carter, Tim (2007). Monteverdi, Claudio. Grove Music Online. (subscription required)
• Kurtzman, Jeffrey (2000). The Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 – Music, Context, Performance. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0-19-816409-8.
• Ringer, Mark (2006). Opera's First Master: The Musical Dramas of Claudio Monteverdi. Newark, New Jersey: Amadeus Press. ISBN 978-1-57467-110-0.
• Whenham, John (1997). Monteverdi: Vespers 1610. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-45377-6.
• Wolf, Uwe, ed. (October 2013). Claudio Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine / Marienvesper / Vespers 1610 (PDF). Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag. pp. XII–XX.

Journals

• Blazey, David (May 1989). "A Liturgical Role for Monteverdi's 'Sonata sopra Sancta Maria'". Early Music. 17 (2): 177. JSTOR 3127447.
• Bowers, Roger (August 1992). "Some Reflection upon Notation and Proportion in Monteverdi's Mass and Vespers of 1610". Music & Letters. Oxford University Press. 73 (3): 347–398. doi:10.1093/ml/73.3.347. JSTOR 735294.
• Bowers, Roger (Autumn 2010). "Of 1610: Claudio Monteverdi's 'Mass, motets and vespers'". The Musical Times. 151 (1912): 41–46. JSTOR 25759499.
• Kemp, Lindsay (9 February 2015). "Monteverdi's Vespers – which recording is best?". Gramophone. London.
• Knighton, Tess (February 1990). "Monteverdi Vespers". Gramophone. London.
• Kurtzman, Jeffrey (1975). Some Historical Perspectives on the Monteverdi Vespers (PDF). Rice University Studies. pp. 123–182.
• McCreesh, Paul (May 1995). "Monteverdi Vespers: Three New Editions". Early Music. 23 (2): 325–327. JSTOR 3137712.

Online sources

• Butt, John (2017). Monteverdi / Vespers 1610 / Dunedin Consort (PDF) (Media notes). Dunedin Consort. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
• Estermann, Josef (22 April 2015). "Monteverdi variabel". musikzeitung.ch (in German). Schweizer Musikzeitung. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
• Quinn, John (May 2016). "Review recording of the month / Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) / Vespro della Beata Vergine (1610)". musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 27 January 2019.

• Stevens, Denis (July 1961). "Where Are the Vespers of Yesteryear?". The Musical Quarterly. 47 (3): 315–330.
• Bonta, Stephen (Spring 1967). "Liturgical Problems in Monteverdi's Marian Vespers". Journal of the American Musicological Society. 20 (1): 87–106.
• Parrott, Andrew (November 1984). "Transposition in Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 / An 'Aberration' Defended". Early Music. 12 (4): 490–516.
• Kurtzman, Jeffrey (February 1985). "An Aberration Amplified". Early Music. 13 (1): 73+75-76.
• Parrott, Andrew (October 1995). "Getting It Right". The Musical Times. 136 (1832): 531–535.
• Parrott, Andrew (May 2004). "Onwards and Downwards". Early Music. 32 (2): 303–317.