ntonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678, and was employed for most of his working life by the Ospedale della Pietà, a convent, orphanage, and music school Ain Venice with a renowned all-female choir and or- chestra. Vivaldi served the Pietà as violin master beginning in 1703. Although well known during his lifetime (Bach transcribed six of Vivaldi’s concerti), his music fell into oblivion after his passing in Vienna in 1741. Vivaldi’s known sacred music compositions con- sist of mass sections (, , and ), psalm settings, Magnifi cat(s), hymns, motets, and several oratorios. The individual mass settings do not seem to be connected with a larger Missa but are stand- alone works composed chiefl y for the musicians of the Pietà. The composer’s most well-known setting of the Credo, RV 591, is scored for SATB voices, two violins, viola, and basso continuo, and is believed to be from Vivaldi’s early composition period (1713- 1717). The composer sets the text into four sections, the fi rst and last being similarly scored for the chorus in a homophonic style that optimally suits the text. In these passages the violins play chiefl y in unison, with the viola doubling the bass one octave higher. Of the other two movements, “Crucifi xus” is expres- sively composed, placing it as the jewel of this work. After the composer’s death, many of his manu- scripts were acquired by the Venetian senator and collector Jacopo Soranzo. When Soranzo died in 1761 without a direct heir, his surviving family divid- ed his collections. Retired Jesuit and Venetian collec- tor Abbot Matteo Luigi Canonici acquired part of the collection—including the Vivaldi manuscripts— possibly from the remaining Soranzo family rela- tives. He later reassembled the collection and sold it to Count Giacomo Durazzo in the late 1700s. By 1893 the volumes of manuscripts had been divided equally between the two remaining Durazzo broth- ers, Marcello and Flavio Ignatius. Marcello died in 1922 and left his part of the collection to the San Carlo Salesian Monastery in Monferrato; these were the manuscripts the National Library in Turin ac- quired and named the Foà Collection, given by the Robert Foà family in memory of their infant son, Raccolta Mauro.

18 CHORAL JOURNAL August 2020 A NEW VIVALDI DISCOVERY IN WARSAW CREDO RV 592

GREGORY M. PYSH

Gregory M. Pysh Minister of Music, First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas [email protected]

CHORAL JOURNALL August 2020 Volume 61 Number 1 19 A NEW VIVALDI DISCOVERY IN WARSAW CREDO RV 592

The other half of the collection, owned by Gi- of Saxony and Poland. The prince-elector and his mu- useppe Maria Durazzo, the elderly son of Flavio Igna- sicians spent time in Venice from February 1716 to July tius, proved more diffi cult to acquire for the National 1717, and during this period Pisendel not only studied Library. After a great deal of negotiation, Giuseppe with Vivaldi but acquired a large number of the com- Maria Durazzo gave his written permission to sell the posers’ manuscripts, which he took back to Dresden, manuscripts, and Filippo Giordano, an Italian textile several in his own hand. Pisendel studied both violin manufacturer, provided funds to purchase the collec- and composition with Vivaldi, and became a decisive tion from Durazzo. In similar fashion as the Roberto advocate for Vivaldi’s music upon his return to court.3 Foà family, the compositions were presented to the Na- tional University Library in memory of Filippo Gior- In September 1717 when he [Pisendel] re- dano’s deceased infant son, Renzo. Today, the Foà and turned to Dresden from Venice, he took at Giordano Collections are known as the Turin manu- least forty manuscripts of Vivaldi’s instrumen- scripts and remain at the Turin National University Li- tal works with him—in addition to the original brary, representing over 90 percent of Vivaldi’s known manuscripts given to him, his own copies of autographs.1 Unfortunately, the Credo RV 592 is not seven sonatas, and more than twenty concertos found in the Turin manuscripts, only in the so-called and sinfonias in score form or in parts. “Breslau (Wroclaw) Collection.” This was presumably the fi rst large body of works by Vivaldi to reach Dresden, though not Source History the only one. To the best of our present knowl- The manuscript used for the Urtext edition of Credo, edge, a considerable portion of the Vivaldi RV 592 was originally in the collection of the Domin- manuscripts in Dresden were written a good ican monk Father Pius Hancke in Wroclaw (Poland), deal later, probably between 1725 and 1730…. which was later titled the “Breslau (Wroclaw) Collec- Contrary to earlier suppositions, the copyists in tion”. Throughout his life, Father Hancke acquired question began working for the court orchestra music manuscripts, especially works for harp and harp- in about 1725.4 sichord. Two copies of this collection later became the property of a certain “Weisse,” who rebound the mu- It might also be speculated of the fourteen scriptors sic and placed new covers on these pieces. The name and proofreaders who copied and proofread the Vival- “Weisse” appears on the front of the manuscript of this di manuscripts in Dresden, three of these—Johannes Credo. After World War II, the Wroclaw collection was Böhm, Michael Krusche, and Joseph Piechatzeg—are transferred from the Church Music Institute in Wro- names found on the manuscript pages of the Credo.4 In claw to the Music Department of the University of addition, Rudolf Walter in his Das Musikalienverzeichnis Warsaw, where it resides today.2 der Breslauer Kathedrale aus dem Jahre 1761 lists a “Credo A title cover must be presumed to have existed, but Italicum ex. G in D# by Vivaldi” in the Breslau collec- it is no longer extant; thus, the only reference to a com- tion. This may confi rm the place of the Credo with Fa- poser is the author indication “Sig. D [?] Vivaldi” in the ther Hancke in Wroclaw, and be the origin of the man- second violin part. This rather inadequate attribution uscript for the edition.6 has suffi ced for its provenance to have been regarded as One other source for the Credo originates from the dubious for quite some time. Augustinian monastery of St. Mary on the Sand, which Another question for which there is no clear answer has an attribution on the title page of the work to an is how Vivaldi’s manuscript reached Wroclaw. One pos- “Authore Pigaglia” (in addition to the title cover, this in- sible explanation is that it was brought to Dresden by dication appears also as a postscript on the organ part). Johann Georg Pisendel, the leader of a small orchestral This was most likely the Venetian composer Dioceno ensemble of the Prince-elector Friederich Augustus II Bigaglia (ca. 1676-ca. 1745), a contemporary of Viv-

20 CHORAL JOURNAL August 2020 Volume 61 Number 1 aldi. During his lifetime, Bigaglia was apparently rea- Concerning the Edition sonably well known as a composer of secular cantatas The Urtext edition of Credo RV 592 is based on and some oratorios. A number of liturgical works have the source manuscript of eighteenth-century Silesian been handed down under his name (short masses and provenance, probably of Dominican origin. It is found psalms, but no further individual mass movements), today in the University of Warsaw Library, PL-Wu but the attributions are largely—perhaps even entire- RM 5046. There are twenty-two cards (11 bifolios) ly—questionable at the very least. Of the eight short measuring 240x365 mm, with ten parts in the set: can- masses, which are all (and, with one exception, solely) to, alto, tenor, bass, two violins, one alto viola, one ten- handed down under his name, concordances with at- or viola, oboe ad libitum, and organ. There is no full tributions to other contemporaries can easily be found: score in the forty-four pages of the set. The Canto is Nicolà Fago, Francesco Feo, Francesco Mancini, Do- scored in soprano clef, alto in alto clef, tenor in tenor menico Natale Sarri, et al. This situation of transmis- clef, and bass in bass clef. The oboes and violins are sion and attribution makes a stylistic comparison with written in treble clef, alto viola in alto clef, tenor viola other liturgical works by Bigaglia completely impossi- in tenor and bass clefs, and the organ in bass clef, with ble; it seems almost questionable whether such works fi gured bass. For the edition all voices have been placed actually exist at all.7 in modern notation, and the tenor viola in alto clef On the other hand, the Credo fi ts well into Vivaldi’s throughout. oeuvre—despite certain conspicuous features, such as the extremely expressive Crucifi xus. First, it match- es the group of individual movements from the mass The Music (RV 587-592: a Kyrie, two Glorias, and two Credos). There The Credo RV 592 is scored for soprano, alto, ten- are numerous parallels to his other Credo in E minor or, and bass voices, two violins, alto viola, tenor viola, RV 591: for example, the disposition and structure of basso continuo, and optional oboe. The text is divided the two compositions is largely concordant, although into six musical sections. The fi rst is an opening Alla a further subdivision was made in the second half of breve in G major, scored with an imitative melodic fi g- the present Credo to allow the ritornello-like Credo mo- ure, each beginning with the word “Credo.” Vivaldi sets tif to be heard once more (“Credo in unam sanctam the opening lines in seven phrases, bridged by uni- catholicam”). On the other hand, the last movement of son staccato strings in a motive the composer utilizes the Credo in G major “Et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen,” throughout the work. The composer sets the text into displays clear similarities, as well as motivic material, four sections, the fi rst and last being similarly scored to the Credo in E minor, even though the instruments in for chorus in a homophonic style that optimally suits the Credo in G are only given a subordinate role.7 the text. In these passages the violins play chiefl y in Although the date of the Credo RV 592 is unknown, unison, with the viola doubling the bass one octave the use of the tenor viola would place the origin in It- higher. Of the other two movements, “Crucifi xus” is aly, where the additional part was more common after expressively composed, placing it as the jewel of this 1720, while being a rarity in northern Europe. Most work (Figure 1 on page 22). prominent in Vivaldi’s choral works, the “Qui sedes” This is followed by a nine-measure Adagio setting of movement of the Gloria RV 588 makes use of the sec- “Et incarnates est,” scored for chorus in a homophonic ond (solo) viola. In several places the tenor viola notes style, with the soprano doubled by the second violins, originally scored by Vivaldi are lower than the modern and the altos by the fi rst violins one octave higher, in viola. established Vivaldi orchestration (Figure 2 on page 23). The “Crucifi xus” is set as an expressive duet for so- prano and alto soloists. The strings play an introduc- tion and a closing section but are placed in unison (mi- nus the tenor viola and oboe) during the vocal phrases

CHORAL JOURNAL August 2020 Volume 61 Number 1 21 A NEW VIVALDI DISCOVERY IN WARSAW CREDO RV 592

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(Figure 3). Conclusion The duet is followed by a brisk setting of “Et resurrex- In the years since the Vivaldi Revival in Siena, Italy it” ” in three-eight meter, for full chorus and orchestra, in 1939, new works have been discovered in the libraries with the strings scored primarily in unison (Figure 4 on of many European cities, which have enriched the cho- page 25). ral and instrumental programs of ensembles through- Vivaldi then reprises the melodic material of the out the world. It is hoped Credo RV 592 will join this opening section, in three phrases. The third phrase ever-increasing repertoire of compositions from the modulates briefl y to G minor, then to a fi nal cadence in versatile and diverse pen of “Il Prete Rosso.” G major (Figure 5 on page 26). The composition closes with a brisk setting of “Et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.” in three-four meter, with a melismatic “Amen” in all voices NOTES and instruments (Figure 6 on page 27). 1 For more on the nistory of the Vivaldi manuscripts, see: Miles Dayton Fish, “Discovering the Rediscovery of

24 CHORAL JOURNAL August 2020 Volume 61 Number 1 Antonio Vivaldo.” Choral Journal 55, no. 10 (May 2015): 3 Karl Heller: , The Red Priest of Venice, translated 18-31. by David Marinelli (Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 2 Ewa Hauptman-Fischer: The mysterious provenance and 1997) pp. 226-230. uncommon repertoire of the music collection belonging 4 Heller, p. 230. to the Dominican Pius Hancke, in: Interdisciplinary 5 Hauptman-Fischer, p. 161. Studies in Musicology 11 (2012) pp. 155-167. 6 Rudolph Walter: Das Musikalienverzeichnis der Breslauer

CHORAL JOURNAL August 2020 Volume 61 Number 1 25 A NEW VIVALDI DISCOVERY IN WARSAW CREDO RV 592

Kathedrale aud den Jahr 1761, in: Fontes Artis Musicae, listed in the RISM-OPAC (opac.rism.info). Vol. 35 No. 4 (1988), pp. 256-275, Here: 263. 8 Uwe Wolf, Forward to Urtext edition of Credo, RV 592, 7 There is practically no literature on Bigaglia. The statements Carus-Verlag, pp. 5-6. are based on an evaluation of the sources and incipits

26 CHORAL JOURNAL August 2020 Volume 61 Number 1 CHORAL JOURNAL August 2020 Volume 61 Number 1 27