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  • The Flowering of the Spirit
    • 2021-2022 Concerts >
      • Clothed Head to Foot in Song
      • World of Wonder
      • Early Music Christmas: Lo How a Rose
      • Sacred Realms: Très Riches Heures
      • Never to Forget
      • Season Finale: Born of the Sun
      • Organ Recital: The Incomparable Herr Buxtehude
    • 2021-22 Educational Events
    • 2021-22 Virtual Offerings >
      • Virtual BachTalks
      • The Choir Loft >
        • June 5th - How Brightly Shines the Morning Star
        • June 12th - Sacred Works by Valentin Silvestrov - Steve Osborn
        • June 26th - Some Music by Palestrina - Comfort in Perfection - Dan Solter
        • July 3rd - William Byrd: Motets and Masses Part One
      • Repertoire Exploration Projects
    • Tickets
    • Donate today!
    • COVID-19 Audience Safety
  • Who we are and What we do
    • Mission Statement
  • Our Ensembles
    • Sonoma Bach Choir
    • Circa 1600
    • Green Mountain Consort
    • Live Oak Baroque Orchestra
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Escrip & Amazon Smile
  • Resources
    • Virtual Offerings - Archive >
      • The Choir Loft
      • Virtual BachTalk
      • Adventures in Sightsinging
      • Parliamo Italiano! Language Workshop
      • Madrigal Mondays
      • Chorale Wednesdays
      • Motet Fridays
      • Virtual Recording Projects
      • Virtual Concerts >
        • Live Oak Baroque Orchestra
        • Music for these Distracted Times - Barefoot All-Stars
        • Agave Baroque American Originals
        • Bach's Long Walk to Lübeck - Anne Laver, organ
    • Concert Programs
    • Scores & Parts
    • Rehearsal Recordings
  • Contact
  • Join our Mailing List!
Cantate Domino by Claudio Monteverdi
It's a psalm setting by Monteverdi: Cantate Domino for Six Voices, published in a 1620 collection of motets by Giulio Cesare Bianchi. Bianchi was a cornettist who worked in Mantova during Monteverdi's time there. Around the time Monteverdi left for Venice, Bianchi decamped for Cremona. Four motets by Monteverdi appear in the 1620 collection, along with many works by Bianchi himself.

Monteverdi set psalms over the entire course of his career. His settings range from small-scale solos and duets to quintets with continuo (as in the posthumous 1650 collection) to magnificent choral-orchestral works such as those found in the Vespers of 1610 and the Selva Morale of 1641.

Our motet this week falls somewhere in the middle of this range. Scored for six voices and continuo, it is an exciting setting of several famous lines from Psalms 96 and 98, exhorting the Christian believer to sing and rejoice and play instruments to celebrate the marvelous gifts of God.

Monteverdi matches the excitement of the opening text with a breathless triple-time introductory passage in four voices. This is then repeated with all six voices, leading to a cosmic setting of 'For he hath done marvelous things'. In duple time, the exhortation to 'Sing, rejoice and give thanks' leads to a stirring (and onomatopoetic) passage on 'Sing to the harp with a psalm'. The piece closes with a reprise of the cosmic setting noted above.

It's an exciting listen, and well worth printing out to sing on your own and over the recording. As usual, I'm including all the materials you might need for these activities.
Download Score
Midi Practice Track
Midi Part Practice Tracks
Click here to download all practice materials
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