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Program: #09-08 Air Date: Feb 16, 2009
The Spanish ensemble Al Ayre Espagnol gives us one of the great monuments of Renaissance art, Victoria's Missa Salve Regina, with other devotional settings for the Virgin Mary.
Preservation of this program is made possible by a generous grant from Eric Cornish.
We continue our long and fruitful association with our partners at Radio Netherlands in presenting a series of concerts from the 2008 Holland Festival of Early Music at Utrecht.
We will also direct listeners to their web site, which will provide more in-depth information about the music and performers we hear as well as more information about the festival (www.rnmusic.nl). The primary theme for 2008 was the Golden Age in Spain.
Note: All of the music on this program was performed by the ensemble Al Ayre Español, Eduardo López Banzo, director For more information about this ensemble:
Ne timeas, Maria: Victoria
The final concert of this year’s Festival will be entirely dedicated to Tomás Luis de Victoria and the devotion for the Virgin Mary, so popular in Spain. Central piece for the evening is the Missa Salve Regina (1592), along with a number of Marian motets. Victoria chose to base his mass on his own four-part motet by the same title instead of the usual Gregorian chant for the antiphon, a piece he wrote in 1576. The motet itself will not sound tonight, but we will hear two other settings of major Marian antiphons in his hand, at the beginning and the end of the programme: ‘Ave Regina caelorum’ and ‘Regina caeli laetare’. Al Ayre Español is a frequent guest at the Utrecht Festival and will perform with a modest cast of only nine soloists. Supported by an organ and a bassoon, they will perform these motets and mass movement, mostly for double chorus, one singer to a part.
Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611)
Sabato in Septuagesima (3rd Sunday before Ash Wednesday)
1 Ave Regina caelorum, a 8 ("Hail, Queen of heaven")
(from: Cantica Beatae Virginis…, Rome, 1581)
In conceptione Beatae Mariae (8 December)
2 Quam pulchri sunt gressus tui, a 4 ("How beautiful are thy steps, o daughter of the prince")
(from: Motecta, Rome, 1572)
In annuntiatione Beatae Mariae (25 March)
3 Ave Maria, a 8
(from: Motecta, 1572)
4 Missa Salve Regina: Kyrie
(from: Missae, Rome, 1592)
5 Ne timeas Maria, a 4 ("Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with the Lord")
(from: Motecta, 1572)
In purificatione Beatæ Mariae (2 February)
6 Nigra sum sed formosa, a 6 ("I am black, but comely daughters of Jerusalem")
(from: Liber primus…, Rome, 1576)
7 Senex puerum portabat, a 4 ("The old man carried the child, but the child bore up the old man")
(from: Motecta, 1572)
8 Missa Salve Regina: Gloria
9 Missa Salve Regina: Credo
In circumcisione Domini (1 January)
10 O magnum misterium, a 4 ("O most awesome mystery and sacrament divine")
(from: Motecta, 1572)
11 Missa Salve Regina: Sanctus & Benedictus
Missa Salve Regina: Agnus Dei
In ascensione Domini (Ascension)
12 Ascendens Christus in altum, a 5 ("Christ rose up, alleluia")
(from: Motecta, 1572)
In assumptione Beatae Mariae (15 August)
13 Vidi, speciosam, a 6 ("I saw the beautiful one")
(from: Motecta, 1572)
Sabato in resurrectione Domini (Easter)
14 Regina cæli lætare, a 8 ("Queen of heaven rejoice, alleluia")
(from: Liber primus…, Rome, 1576)
Composer Info
Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611)
Note: The contact information in this episode may be out-of-date. You can contact us at this current link.
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