Venetian Sacred Music (9th–17th Century) – Cavalli, Monteverdi, Rovetta, Grandi, Legrenzi & Others (3CD Set)

• UPC: 8718247711192
• MPN: 8802119
• Brand Name: Newton Classics

Overview

This Newton Classics 3CD anthology offers a rich and comprehensive journey through Venetian sacred music from the early medieval chants of St. Mark’s Basilica to the glorious polychoral works of the Baroque masters Francesco Cavalli, Claudio Monteverdi, Giovanni Rovetta, Alessandro Grandi, and Giovanni Legrenzi.

Featuring ensembles such as the Gruppo Vocale e Strumentale “Sine Nomine”, Cappella Musicale Monteberico, Gruppo Vocale e Strumentale “Nova Cantica”, Schola Marciana, and La Stagione Armonica, this collection spans nearly a millennium of Venetian spirituality and musical innovation. Recorded in the evocative churches and abbeys of northern Italy, the set captures the sacred grandeur, mystical devotion, and radiant sonority that made Venice a center of European sacred art.

Product Features

• Format: 3CD Set
• Sound: DDD Stereo
• Total Duration: 167′40

• Recording Dates & Locations:

  Producers: Robert de Pieri
  • May 1989 – Condulmer Recording Studio, Mogliano Veneto (CD1)
  • 11–21 August 1994 – Abbazia di Monteberico, Vicenza (CD2)
  • 2–19 October 1996 – Chiesa di San Vigilio, Belluno (CD3)
• Balance Engineers: Gianni Fantur (CD1), Paul Corner (CD2–3)
• Original Label: Rivoalto (1989–1996)
• Reissue Label: Newton Classics B.V. (2012)
• Country of Manufacture: Netherlands
• Genre: Classical
• Style: Early Sacred / Venetian Polychoral / Renaissance–Baroque

Ensembles:

• Gruppo Vocale e Strumentale “Sine Nomine” (CD1)
• Cappella Musicale Monteberico & Nova Cantica (CD2)
• Schola Marciana & La Stagione Armonica (CD3)

Interesting Facts

• A Millennium of Faith in Sound: This collection traces the sacred musical heritage of Venice from plainchant and medieval ritual to the multi-choir splendor of St. Mark’s Basilica, where composers like Monteverdi and Cavalli defined the sound of Venetian devotion.

• From Chant to Concertato: The early San Marco repertoire (9th–15th centuries) is represented alongside later concertato-style motets and masses, showing the stylistic transformation of Venetian sacred art over 800 years.

• Venetian Splendor Revived: Cavalli’s Messa concertata (1656) and Monteverdi’s Gloria from the Selva morale e spirituale (1641) demonstrate the height of Baroque expressiveness—music that once filled the domes of San Marco with gold-toned echoes.

• Authentic Performances: All works are performed on period instruments by leading Italian early-music ensembles, recreating the luminous textures and spatial sonorities of the Venetian chapels.

• Recorded in Sacred Spaces: Each disc was recorded in historically resonant churches of the Veneto region, capturing the reverberant acoustics for which this repertoire was conceived.

Track Listing

CD 1 – Francesco Cavalli (1602–1676)

Messa concertata (1656) – 41′41

Gruppo Vocale e Strumentale “Sine Nomine”

CD 2 – Sacred Music from St. Mark’s Basilica (9th–16th Century)

1. Natale (Christmas) – 17′44
2. Settimana Santa (Holy Week) – 4′39
3. Johannes de Quadris (c.1410–c.1456): Good Friday Procession and Deposition – 20′29
4. San Marco (Feast of St. Mark) – 15′59
5. Proprio dei Santi (Feasts of the Saints) – 12′22

Cappella Musicale Monteberico / Nova Cantica

CD 3 – Monteverdi, Grandi, Rovetta, Legrenzi, Cavalli

1. Monteverdi: Litanies of the Blessed Virgin (1650) – 10′41
2. Cavalli: Alma redemptoris (Musiche sacre, 1656) – 5′29
3. Grandi: O speciosa (Celesti fiori, 1619) – 4′57
4. Legrenzi: Humili voce (Harmonia d’affetti devoti, 1655) – 7′59
5. Rovetta: Confitebor (Messa e salmi concertati, 1639) – 9′10
6. Grandi: Hodie nobis de caelo (Motets, 1610) – 3′13
7. Monteverdi: Gloria (Selva morale e spirituale, 1641) – 13′07

Schola Marciana / La Stagione Armonica

Publishers

Rivoalto / Newton Classics B.V. © 2012 Art Direction & Design: Jan Martin Wilschut (BND Amsterdam / Hotsprings) Cover Image: Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam LC 24605 Manufactured and printed in the Netherlands

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