ANTONIO VIVALDI

Abstract

PREFACE This edition of Antonio Vivaldi's Gloria (RV 589) was prepared from a vocal score edited by Clayton J. Westermann, originally published by Edwin F. Kalmus & Co. in 1968. Mr. Westermann's source was the Raccolta Renzo Giordano, Opere Sacre, Tome 1. ff 90-129r from the Biblioteca Nazionale in Turin. According to Mr. Westermann's preface, " The full score, orchestra parts and vocal score are faithfully represented as in Vivaldi's original notation. " Because of this, the 1968 vocal score is considered to be an " urtext " or scientific edition and has therefore been interpreted to be in the public domain in Canada by the copyright reviewers at the International Music Score Library Project (www.imslp.org). Accordingly, I have set out to create a crisp new imprint suitable for sharing and reproducing. Some changes to the piano reduction have been made for clarity or to better reflect the orchestral parts. Included in this edition is the oboe solo for " Domine Deus ". Items marked in brackets [ ] including trills, dynamics, and missing figured bass are editorial. Editorial slurs in " Laudamus te " are marked with a dotted line. Editorial marks are taken from several different print editions (including Mr. Westermann's) and recordings to represent common performance practice. A treble clef has been substituted for the original soprano, alto and tenor clefs. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) set the Gloria text a number of times. A catalogue of his works lists three separate pieces, one of which is now lost. Vivaldi almost certainly composed this Gloria (and the others) for the girls at Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned children in Venice in the early 18 th century. Rediscovered in late 1920's, this work has become the most popular of Vivaldi's vocal works and is part of the standard oratorio repertoire. The text for this piece comes from the ancient Christian hymn Gloria in excelsis Deo. The hymn begins with the angel's song from Luke 2:14 and is written in the style of psalmi idiotic (private psalms – songs written by individuals in imitation of those found in scripture). It has been sung at Masses since the second century, though its current format and translation into Latin was developed in the fourth century.