Durante: Magnificat in B-flat Major

Description

This wonderful, short choral masterpiece has a confusing heritage. Spuriously attributed in 1910 to Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736), the six-movement MAGNIFICAT was actually composed by Francesco Durante (1684-1755), proven by a signed manuscript housed in Naples. Highly esteemed by his contemporaries and described as "one of the greatest Italian church composers and composition teachers of all time,"

Durante was Pergolesi's teacher, which may be where some of the confusion regarding this work's composer may have originated. Undoubtedly one of Durante's most important compositions, this work is one the most significant settings of this text (derived from Luke 1:46-55) in cantata form, masterfully combining the traditional polyphonic notation with modern, early Classical elements. Regardless of attribution, the work remains, next to Vivaldi's GLORIA and Pergolesi's STABAT MATER, among the most familiar pieces of 18th century Italian sacred music. This edition has been edited by Clayton Westermann.

Instrumentation: Org: Str (2-2-2-1-1 in set): Solo SATB: Mx Chor.