Gloria RV 589

The “Gloria” RV 589 is one of Vivaldi’s most popular compositions today and one of the most regularly performed sacred vocal works from the Baroque era. The work was, in all probability, composed around 1716 during Vivaldi’s time at the Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage for girls in Venice. Although Vivaldi’s “Gloria” (BA 8953) was written for solo voices and mixed choir, it is likely that it was performed at the girls’ orphanage with female voices only. Taking this into account, Malcolm Bruno’s careful arrangement for choir SSAA is of some relevance. The work, when set for female voices or children’s choir, remains a true masterpiece. The “Kyrie” RV 587 (BA 8954) for two choirs and two string ensembles, as arranged here for female choir, displays its own charm. It can be performed together with the Gloria as a type of short mass. Both arrangements are based on the recently published Urtext editions of these works. The piano reductions by editor Malcolm Bruno are easy to play and preserve the character of the works. The orchestral parts for the original SATB version can be used for the performance of these arrangements.