About the composer
Not much is known about João Rodrigues Esteves. He was born in 1700 or some years
earlier, and as he was not mentioned in records after the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755,
he probably died in that disaster. It is known that he was sent to Rome by King John V
where he studied in the period 1719 - 1726 and from 1729 till 1751 he was chapel master of
the Royal Chapel in the Lisbon cathedral. Though some hundred works are known of him, it
is quite possible that part of his work was destroyed in the extensive fires that broke
out after the earthquake. Though Esteves composed some operas and chamber music, the
largest part of his work are sacred pieces, mostly with organ accompaniment.
| Date | ca. 1740? |
| Performers | Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone and mixed choir, with organ and cello. |
| Length | 25.39 minutes |
| Particulars | The Stabat Mater is considered as one of the highlights of Portuguese baroque music, in which Esteves made use of the developments in Italian music from his time in Rome. The work is divided into eleven parts, with solo's, duets and trio's, and ending in a grand choral fugue on the word Amen. |
| Textual variations | The "Analecta"-version of the text is used, with
one change: - Stanza 16, line 2: not "Passionis eius sortem" but "Passionis fac consortem". |
| CD | CAL 001: Calíope |
| About this CD | The disc is a representation of what the Brazil ensemble
Calíope likes to perform, baroque music by Brazilian and Portuguese composers. Recorded in the Capela da Reitoria da UFRJ in November 1998. |
| Choir | Calíope |
| Conductor | Julio Moretzsohn |
| Soloists | Gláucia Henriques, Helen Heinzle, sopranos Ana Madalena Nery, mezzo-soprano, Geilson Santos, alto Ronaldo Victório, tenor Antonio Guapiassú, Rivelino de Aquino, baritones Rita Cabus, organ Maria Alice Brandão, cello |
| Other works | Emerico Lobo de Mesquita: Missa para Quarta-Feira de
Cinzas José Maurício Nunes Garcia: Motetos para Semana Santa |
E-mail:
stabatmater@dds.nl