"Stabat Mater" for Soprano, Alto & Chamber Orchestra

During his brief 26 years of life, GIOVANNI BATTISTA PERGOLESI became one of the most influential composers of the 18th century. His early opera buffa La serva padrona (1733) secured his reputation, while his Stabat Mater (1736) unexpectedly became the most widely disseminated work of the century. Contemporary publishers claimed that issuing any of his compositions would guarantee profit. Moreover, Stabat Mater holds the distinction of being the most frequently arranged work of its time: J. S. Bach re‑used it in his transcription of Psalm 51 (Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden); in 1776 it was arranged for four voices with added woodwinds; Paisiello and Salieri produced their own reworkings; and in 1831 Alexei Lvov adapted it for large orchestra, choir, and soloists, declaring it “only suitable” for the imperial palace chapel in Russia. The work was commissioned by the brotherhood of Cavalieri della Vergine delle Dolori in Naples, which had previously used Alessandro Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater for its Good Friday celebrations before deciding to renew the music. Pergolesi is believed to have accepted the commission while in poor health, reportedly suffering from tuberculosis. In early 1736, he retired to a Franciscan monastery near Naples, disposed of his few possessions, and died two months later. Despite his condition, he managed to complete both Stabat Mater and Salve Regina during his stay, and the manuscript of Stabat Mater bears signs of haste in its composition. The work is based on the medieval Latin sequence of the 13^th century, Stabat mater dolorosa, which reflects Mary’s suffering at the foot of the cross of the crucified Christ. The mother stood in mourning, weeping at the cross on which her Son was crucified. Her soul groaned, grieved, and lamented, as if pierced by a sword. Oh, how sorrowful and brokenhearted she was -the blessed one, the mother of the Only Begotten! Pergolesi reflects the text with profound human empathy, with piety and devotion, natural expressiveness, melodic grace, and a transformation of polyphonic style—qualities to which the work owes its enduring success.