Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine is a remarkable work, unprecedented in its magnitude and splendour. No other music from that period is conceived on such a grand scale, or with such a range of brilliant instrumental and vocal colours. Today, the Vespers is one of the most frequently performed works from the time before Bach and Handel, yet for some three hundred years it lay forgotten. In 1932 a modern edition was published, after which a few performances took place, but it was not until the 1960s that the Vespers reached a wider public. John Eliot Gardiner’s inaugural concert with the Monteverdi Choir at King’s College, Cambridge, in 1964, which launched his conducting career, did much to popularise the work in this country, and it was given a further boost with the growing public enthusiasm for period instrument performances of early music.
Monteverdi was born in 1567 in Cremona, the great centre of violin-making during the 16th and 17th centuries. His first professional employment was as a string player at the court of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga at Mantua. His talents were soon recognised, and in due course he became Maestro di Capella. Two of his greatest works were composed at Mantua: Orfeo (1607), the very first full-length dramatic opera to be written, and the Vespers (1610).
Although the Duke’s demands were considerable, the pay was poor and unreliable and the minefield of court politics wearying. Monteverdi grew increasingly dissatisfied with his situation, but as one of the duke’s servants he was forbidden to seek another royal appointment without the duke’s permission, which was refused. In 1610 Monteverdi’s first major collection of sacred music was published, comprising a Mass – his Missa in illo tempore – and the Vespers. The various psalms and canticles that make up the Vespers seem to have been composed over a period of some years. Quite why Monteverdi decided to bring them all together for publication remains a matter of some debate, but the general consensus is that he decided to compile a kind of musical CV to demonstrate his skill as a composer of sacred music, with the hope that he would be able to secure a suitable ecclesiastical position. In 1612 Monteverdi, along with a number of other servants, was abruptly dismissed from his post at Mantua. He was now free to seek a new position, and the following year he was appointed to the most prestigious musical job in Italy - Maestro di Cappella at St Mark’s, Venice. The Vespro della Beata Vergine undoubtedly played an important part in ensuring the success of his application. Monteverdi remained at St Mark’s for the rest of his life, financially secure, professionally fulfilled and universally respected. Frustratingly, no evidence has been found to tell us whether the Vespers was ever performed at Mantua or Venice, or even whether it was performed at all following its publication.
The musical parts of Vespers, the service of early evening prayer, followed a pattern that had remained virtually unchanged for many hundreds of years:
Opening versicles & responses
Antiphon – psalm – antiphon (this pattern then repeated for 4 other psalms)
Hymn
Versicle & response
Antiphon – Magnificat – antiphon
Closing versicles & responses
None of these could be omitted, so if the 1610 publication was intended as a complete Vespers service we would expect to find that it comprised exactly these components. However, there are no antiphons (the plainsong chants that were always sung between the psalm settings and before the Magnificat) in Monteverdi’s collection, yet there are five ‘sacred concertos’– freely composed motets for solo voices – which do not form part of the official Vespers liturgy. One possibility is that these were intended as substitutes for the antiphons but, unlike them, the concerto texts are not the correct ones as specified for feasts of the Virgin. This puzzling anomaly, and the inclusion of a setting of the Mass, a second, simpler, setting of the Magnificat, and the Sonata sopra ‘Sancta Maria ora pro nobis’, suggests that in addition to its primary purpose as a demonstration of his musical credentials, Monteverdi intended the publication as a flexible resource for other maestros to use as needed. It seems improbable, then, that Monteverdi meant all the movements to be performed at one time. Consequently there is no definitive ‘Monteverdi Vespers’, and the various editions differ widely in their content, order of movements, instrumentation and so on. Nevertheless, the Vespers is now generally performed as a single work.
The sacred concertos– the motets – are wonderfully expressive and often sensual settings for solo voices, composed in the modern operatic style, featuring bold dissonances, clear textures and virtuosic, highly expressive vocal writing. In contrast, the music for the each of the strictly liturgical parts of the Vespers – the psalms, hymn and Magnificat – is written in the cantus firmus style, which even in 1610 was centuries old. Surrounded by complex interweaving vocal and instrumental lines, the Gregorian plainchant assigned to each text is sung in long notes by one or other voice part. With these chants necessarily remaining on a single note for several bars at a time, it takes great ingenuity to avoid repetitiveness or dullness. Monteverdi skilfully meets this challenge with music of breathtaking virtuosity and seemingly inexhaustible inventiveness. This use of both ancient and modern styles is a central feature of the Vespers.
Without doubt Monteverdi was the greatest Italian composer of the late Renaissance and early Baroque period. He was a truly original musician, who revolutionised the music of the theatre and the church through his dramatic and imaginative use of instruments and voices, and by the daring of his harmonies. Though he lived at the end of the Renaissance, his innovations revealed new musical horizons and so helped to create the Baroque style, much as Beethoven led the way from the Classical to the Romantic era two hundred years later. The Vespers is a spectacular achievement, and is now rightly recognised as the greatest work of the 17th century, to be ranked alongside the later masterpieces of Bach and Handel.
programme notes © John Bawden 2022
- Deus in adjutorium (Ps.70)
Monteverdi’s use of both ancient and modern styles is evident from the very opening bars. The choir chants the sacred text on a single chord, to the accompaniment of lively instrumental embellishments taken from the opening fanfare from his opera L’Orfeo. A dance-like ritornello (an instrumental interlude) follows each section.
Deus in adiutorium meum intende.
Domine ad adiuvandum me festina.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. Alleluia.
O God, make speed to save me.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen. Alleluia
- Dixit Dominus (Ps.110)
Monteverdi employs strongly contrasting musical textures in this psalm: complex textures and simple chanting; dramatic six-part choral writing and expressive solo passages; vocal sections and short instrumental interludes, whilst the Gregorian chantregularly appears in different registers.
.
Dixit Dominus Domino meo: sede a dextris meis,
donec ponam inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum.
Virgam virtutis tuae emittet Dominus ex Sion:
dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum.
Tecum principium in die virtutis tuae
in splendoribus sanctorum:
ex utero, ante luciferum, genui te.
Juravit Dominus et non poenitebit eum. Tu es sacerdos
in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech.
Dominus a dextris tuis confregit
in die irae suae reges.
Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas; conquassabit capita in terra multorum.
De torrente in via bibet;
propterea exaltabit caput
Gloria Patri …
The Lord said unto my Lord: sit at my right hand,
and I shall make thine enemies thy footstool.
The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion:
rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
Thine shall be the dominion in the day of thy power
in the splendour of the holy places:
from the womb, before the daystar have I begotten thee.
The Lord has sworn and will not repent.
Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech.
The Lord at thy right hand shall destroy kings
in the day of his wrath.
He shall judge the nations; he shall fill them with destruction
and smash heads in the populous land.
He shall drink of the brook in the way;
therefore shall he lift up his head.
Glory be to the Father …
- Nigra sum
The first of the non-liturgical movements exemplifies the new operatic monody of the time: highly expressive, virtuosic music for solo voice or voices. The text, from the Song of Songs in the Old Testament, is widely interpreted as an allegorical representation of Mary as God’s lovingspouse. Monteverdi brings the text vividly to life with skilful word-painting as, for example, when he sets ‘surge, amica mea’ to a sharply rising figure.
Nigra sum sed formosa filia Jerusalem
Ideo dilexit me rex et introduxit in cubiculum suum
et dixit mihi: Surge amica mea et veni.
Jam hiems transiit, imber abiit et recessit,
Flores apparuerunt in terra nostra,
tempus putationis advenit.
I am a black but beautiful daughter of Jerusalem,
Therefore the king chose me and brought me into his chamber and said to me: Arise my love and come.
For now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone,
Flowers have appeared in our land,
the time of pruning is come.
- Laudate pueri (Ps.113)
In this psalm setting there are widely varying choral and solo sections. The Gregorian chant on which the cantus firmus is basedcan be heard most clearly during the solo passages, when it is sung by one section or other of the choir under the florid elaborations of the soloists. The movement ends with a gradual diminuendo, the different parts of the choir dropping out one by one until only the soloists are left.
Laudate, pueri, Dominum; laudate nomen Domini.
Sit nomen Domini benedictum
ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum.
A solis ortu usque ad occasum laudabile nomen Domini. Excelsus super omnes gentes Dominus,
et super caelos gloria ejus.
Quis sicut Dominus Deus noster, qui in altis habitat,
et humilia respicit in caelo et in terra?
Praise the Lord, ye servants; praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth for evermore.
From the rising to the setting of the sun, the Lord’s name be praised. The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens.
Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,
and hath regard for the humble things in heaven and earth?
Suscitans a terra inopem, et de stercore erigens pauperem: ut collocet eum cum principibus,
cum principibus populi sui.
Qui habitare facit sterilem in domo,
matrem filiorum laetantem.
Gloria Patri…
Raising up the needy from the earth, and lifting up the poor out of the mire; that he may set him with the princes,
even with the princes of his people.
Who maketh the barren woman to keep house,
a joyful mother of children.
Glory be to the Father…
- Pulchra es
This beautiful duet for two sopranos is another love poem from the Song of Songs. The tender and personal nature of the text is enhanced by the vocal ornamentation and the unexpected changes of harmony.
Pulchra es, amica mea, suavis et decora filia
Jerusalem, terribilis ut castrorum acies ordinata.
Averte oculos tuos a me, quia ipsi me avolare fecerunt..
Thou art beautiful, my love, a sweet and comely daughter of Jerusalem, terrible as an army arrayed for battle.
Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have put me to flight.
- Laetatus sum (Ps.122)
At the beginning of this psalm a distinctive ‘walking bass’ is heard, which returns at various junctures throughout the movement. The dramatic dialogue between the choir and the virtuoso soloists is underpinned by the plainsong chant.
Laetatus sum in his quae dicta sunt mihi:
In domum Domini ibimus.
Stantes erant pedes nostri, in atriis tuis, Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, quae aedificatur ut civitas:
cujus participatio ejus in idipsum.
Illuc enim ascenderunt tribus, tribus Domini:
testimonium Israël,
ad confitendum nomini Domini.
Quia illic sederunt sedes in judicio,
sedes super domum David.
Rogate quae ad pacem sunt Jerusalem,
et abundantia diligentibus te.
Fiat pax in virtute tua, et abundantia in turribus tuis. Propter fratres meos et proximos meos,
loquebar pacem de te.
Propter domum Domini Dei nostri,
quaesivi bona tibi.
Gloria Patri…
I was glad when they said unto me:
We will go into the house of the Lord.
Our feet were standing within thy gates, O Jerusalem;
Jerusalem, that is built as a city
for people to come together in unity.
For thither the tribes have gone up, the tribes of the Lord:
to testify unto Israel,
to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. For there are the seats of judgement,
the thrones of the house of David.
O pray for the peace of Jerusalem,
and prosperity for those that love thee.
Peace be within thy strength, and prosperity within thy towers. For my brethren and neighbours’ sakes
have I asked peace for thee.
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I have sought good things for thee.
Glory be to the Father…
- Duo seraphim
Two seraphim are calling to each other across the heavens. Monteverdi’s musical symbolism is ingenious: at ‘Tres sunt’ – the Trinity – a third singer joins the first two and the music culminates on a three-part chord. Then at the words ‘et hi tres unum sunt’ – ‘these three are one’ – the three voices come together on a single unison note.
Duo Seraphim clamabant alter ad alterum:
Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Dominus Deus Saboath.
Plena est omnis terra gloria ejus.
Tres sunt, qui testimonium dant in coelo: Pater,
Verbum et Spiritus Sanctus: et hi tres unum sunt.
Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Plena est omnis terra gloria ejus.
.
Two Seraphim were calling to one another:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts.
The whole earth is full of his glory.
There are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father,
the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and these three are one.
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts.
The whole earth is full of his glory
- Nisi Dominus (Ps.127)
Modelled on the double-choir works of Giovanni Gabrieli, the chorus here divides into two five-part choirs. This setting is notable for its rhythmic complexity. One voice-part in each choir sings the plainchant, while the other parts have closely written canons that generate an energetic, busy texture. At the centre of the movement is a gentler section where the two choirs answer each other in turn.
Nisi Dominus aedificaverit domum, in vanum laboraverunt qui aedificant eam.
Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem,
frustra vigilat qui custodit eam.
Except the Lord build the house,
they that build it labour in vain.
Except the Lord guard the city,
the watchman waketh but in vain.
Vanum est vobis ante lucem surgere:
surgite postquam sederitis, qui manducatis panem doloris.
Cum dederit dilectis suis somnum.
Ecce haereditas Domini, filii; merces, fructus ventris.
Sicut sagittae in manu potentis, ita filii excussorum.
Beatus vir qui implevit desiderium suum ex ipsis:
non confundetur cum loquetur inimicis suis in porta.
Gloria Patri…
It is vain for you to rise early;
rise up after you have rested, you who eat the bread of sorrow. For he giveth his beloved sleep.
Lo, children are a gift from the Lord; a reward, the fruit of the womb. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.
Blessed is the man that hath fulfilled his desire with them:
he shall not be ashamed when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Glory be to the Father…
- Audi coelum
This movement features a striking echo effect, a device that was popular in theatre music of the time. From a distance, a second soloist echoes the phrase endings of the first, but not completely. Ingeniously, a new word is formed by this answering echo. Thus, ‘gaudio’ (joy) becomes ‘audio’ (I hear), and so on. At the word ‘Omnes’ the full chorus enters. The movement concludes with a serene choral passage.
Audi cœlum, verba mea, plena desiderio et perfusa gaudio.
…Audio
Dic, quaeso, mihi: Quae est ista, quae consurgens
ut aurora rutilat ut benedicam?
…Dicam
Dic nam ista pulchra ut luna electa ut sol
replet laetitia terras, coelos, Maria
…Maria
Maria Virgo illa dulcis, praedicata à prophetis Ezechiel porta Orientalis?
…Talis
Illa sacra et felix porta
per quam mors fuit expulsa, introducta autem vita?
…Ita
Quae semper tutum est medium inter hominem et Deum, pro culpis remedium.
…Medium
Omnes hanc ergo sequamur, qua cum gratia mereamur vitam aeternam. Consequamur.
…Sequamur
Praestet nobis Deus, Pater hoc et Filius, et Mater
cuius nomen invocamus dulce miseris solamen.
…Amen
Benedicta es, Virgo Maria, in saeculorum saecula.
Hear, O heaven, my words, full of longing and suffused with joy.
…I hear
Tell me, I beseech you, who is she who, rising,
shines like the dawn, that I may bless her?
…I shall tell you
Tell me, for she, lovely as the moon and chosen as the sun,
fills with joy the earth, heavens and seas, Mary.
…Mary
Mary, that sweet Virgin foretold by the prophet Ezekiel,
that Eastern portal?
…That very one
That sacred and happy portal
through which death was expelled and life led in?
…Just so
She who is always a sure mediator between man and God,
the remedy for our sins.
…The mediator
Let us all therefore follow her, by whose grace we may deserve to attain eternal life.
…Let us follow
Grant this, O God the Father, O God the Son, O Mother
whose sweet name we invoke, grant this comfort to the afflicted.
…Amen
Blessed art thou, Virgin Mary, for ever and ever.
- Lauda Jerusalem (Ps. 147)
Monteverdi produces another complex arrangement for the final psalm. The chorus is divided into three groups: three high voice parts, three low voice-parts, and all the tenors assigned to the plainsong cantus firmus. Once again the music features a series of closely written canons, creating an energetic texture that reaches a climax at the Gloria, when the sopranos take over the chant.
Lauda, Jerusalem, Dominum; lauda Deum tuum, Sion. Quoniam confortavit seras portarum tuarum;
benedixit filiis tuis in te
Qui posuit fines tuos pacem, et adipe frumenti satiat te.
Qui emittit eloquium suum terræ,
velociter currit sermo ejus.
Qui dat nivem sicut lanam; nebulam sicut cinerem spargit. Mittit crystallum suam sicut buccellas: ante faciem frigoris ejus quis sustinebit? Emittet verbum suum, et liquefaciet ea; flabit spiritus ejus, et fluent aquae.
Qui annuntiat verbum suum Jacob,
justitias et judicia sua Israel.
Non fecit taliter omni nationi,
et judicia sua non manifestavit eis.
Gloria Patri…
.
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem: praise thy God, O Zion.
For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates:
and hath blessed thy children.
He maketh peace in thy realm, and filleth thee with the finest wheat. He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth:
and his word runneth swiftly
He bringeth snow like a fleece, and scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold? He utters his word, and the ice is melted:
he makes the wind blow, and the waters flow again.
He reveals his word unto Jacob,
his statutes and decrees to Israel.
He hath not done so for other nations,
nor were his decrees made known to them.
Glory be to the Father…
- Sonata sopra Sancta Maria
The last of the sacred concertos is an instrumental dance, over which Monteverdi adds a chant for the sopranos which is repeated eleven times in varying rhythms.
Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
- Ave maris stella
This exquisite setting of a Marian hymn is based on a plainsong chant, though in Monteverdi’s expert hands it is transformed into something much deeper and richer. The chorus is divided into two choirs, who sing the first and last verses together. The other verses are sung either by the individual choirs or by soloists.
Ave, maris stella, Dei Mater alma,
atque semper Virgo, felix caeli porta.
Sumens illud Ave Gabrielis ore,
Funda nos in pace, mutans Evae nomen.
Solve vincla reis, profer lumen caecis,
Mala nostra pelle, bona cuncta posce
Monstra te esse matrem sumat per te preces,
Qui pro nobis natus tulit esse tuus.
Virgo singularis, inter omnes mitis,
nos culpis solutos, mites fac et castos.
Vitam praesta puram, iter para tutum,
Ut videntes Jesum, semper collaetemur.
Sit laus Deo Patri, summo Christo decus
Spiritui Sancto, tribus honor unus. Amen.
Hail, star of the sea, the nurturing Mother of God
and always Virgin, the happy portal of heaven.
Receiving that ‘Ave’ from the mouth of Gabriel.
Establish us in peace, transforming the name of Eve
Loosen the chains of the guilty, bring light to the blind,
Drive away our ills, pray for all our blessings.
Show thyself to be a mother, he will accept our prayers through you, he who, born for us, deigned to be born of you.
O peerless Virgin, gentle above all others,
Our sins dissolved, make us mild and pure.
Grant a pure life, prepare a safe way,
So that, seeing Jesus, we may ever rejoice together.
Praise be to God the Father, Glory to Christ on high,
And to the Holy Spirit, one honour to all three. Amen.
- Magnificat
The Vespers reaches its conclusion with the Magnificat – the Canticle of Mary. Monteverdi sets each of its verses to a different combination of vocal and instrumental forces, recalling many of the musical features heard earlier: echo effects, the walking bass, dance-like ritornelli, operatic solos, rich instrumental and choral writing. The ancient Gregorian chants have been a unifying element throughout the work, and now the Magnificat chant is brought to the fore, embellished by florid instrumental and vocal accompaniment. Thus ancient simplicity and modern brilliance are combined once more, each enhancing the other. In the final section the entire orchestra and chorus unite to bring Monteverdi’s magnificent and inspiring work to an exhilarating close.
Magnificat anima mea Dominum
et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo.
Quia respexit humilitatem ancillæ suæ:
Ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes.
Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est,
et sanctum nomen eius.
Et misericordia eius a progenie in progenies
timentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam in brachio suo, dispersit superbos
mente cordis sui.
Deposuit potentes de sede
et exaltavit humiles.
Esurientes implevit bonis
et divites dimisit inanes.
Suscepit Israel puerum suum recordatus misericordiæ suæ, Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros,
Abraham et semini eius in sæcula.
Gloria Patri…
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him
from generation to generation.
He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat,
and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath supported his servant Israel,
As he promised to our forefathers,
Abraham and his seed for ever.
Glory be to the Father….
John Bawden
To those using these notes
You are more than welcome to use all or part of these notes for your choral society or church programme, or for educational purposes. If you do, please would you be kind enough to advise me by e-mail - bawden37@sky.com - and would you also acknowledge my authorship. I’m happy to be simply © John Bawden, but if you wish to add my degree, it’s MMus (University of Surrey, UK). If you are thinking of using these notes for commercial reproduction, e.g. a CD or DVD liner, please contact me. Thank you.
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