Chatham Baroque - Giovanni Felice Sances (c.1600–1679) - Stabat Mater Il pianto della Madonna

Chatham Baroque https://www.chathambaroque.org
Patricia Halverson, violone
Scott Pauley, theorbo
with
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Adam Pearl, chamber organ

The Stabat Mater is a thirteenth-century Christian hymn to Mary. The title comes from the first line of the hymn, Stabat Mater dolorosa, which translates to “The sorrowful Mother was standing.” Of the many western composers who have composed on this text, the most famous example is from Giovanni Battista Pergolesi who, in the final two weeks of his short life, composed a setting for soprano, alto, two violins, viola and basso continuo.

Here, we turn to a less well-known composer, Giovanni Felice Sances, for a setting of the hymn text scored for soprano voice and basso continuo. Born in Rome, Sances was a singer and a composer whose career led him to accept positions in several prominent cities in Italy including Rome and Venice. It was likely a career-related gravitational pull that led him in 1636 to Vienna where he was first employed as a tenor in the imperial court chapel. During the reign of Ferdinand III, Sances collaborated on many projects with Antonio Bertali. Following Bertali’s death in 1669, Sances was promoted to the position of Imperial Kapellmeister. Published in 1670, Sances’ Pianto della Madonna is based on a descending tetrachord of four notes A-G-F-E. The tetrachord stated by the basso continuo group is fully chromatic, which is to say that it descends by half steps. This repeating pattern (also known as a ground bass) is interrupted on three occasions by brief, recitative passages, including at the very opening of the piece. The repetitive nature of the ground bass rewards the composer with a certain freedom to compose for the soprano voice in an expressive and improvisational style. Painful dissonances reflecting the text in certain passages add additional tension to the work.

Patricia Halverson and Scott Pauley


Filmed at St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church, Millvale, PA. March 2021 as a part of Chatham Baroque's on-demand 2020/2021 Video Concert Series. Sound design and editing: Kristian Tchetchko. Videography/Editing: Benaiah Sombke.