About the composer
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525 - 1594) was born in Palestrina, Italy. He is
considered to be the most important Italian composer of the sixteenth century and
furthermore as the greatest composer of catholic church music, including more than 100
masses. He worked for several popes as Master of a Chapel. Palestrina composed his
"Stabat Mater a 8" for Pope Gregory XIV. It soon established itself as one of
the most admired pieces in the repertory of the Pope's private chapel. By the seventeenth
century it was traditionally sung in the Sistine Chapel at the Offertory on Palm Sunday.
In 1848 Richard Wagner made an adaptation of Palestrina's Stabat Mater, which can be sung
more easily by larger choirs.
| Date | ca. 1590 |
| Performers | Eight voices, divided into two choirs (SATB/SATB) |
| Length | 11.03 minutes (CD 1), 11.13 minutes (CD 2), 8.59 minutes (CD 3), 8.15 minutes (CD 4) |
| Particulars | The work is divided in two parts. |
| Textual variations | The "Analecta" version of the text is used, but on
CD's 1 and 2 with following changes: - Stanza 13, line 1: not "Fac me vere tecum flere" but "Fac me tecum, pie, flere" - Stanza 14, line 2: not "Te libenter sociare" but "Et me tibi sociare" - Stanza 16, line 2: not "Passionis eius sortem" but "Passionis fac consortem" - Stanza 17, line 3: not "Ob amorem Filii" but "Et cruore Filii" |
| CD 1 | Virgin 5 45272 2: Stabat Mater |
| About this CD | Four completely different settings of the Stabat Mater. A
"must" for every collector. The Palestrina version is beautiful, but sometimes
some voices do not blend: they tend to separate from the collective. The Palestrina Stabat Mater was recorded at the Temple Church, Londen, in January 1986. I bought this CD in a record shop in the Netherlands, 1997 |
| Choir | Taverner Choir |
| Conductor | Andrew Parrot |
| Other works | Gregorian Chant, Stabat Mater John Browne, Stabat Mater Arvo Pärt, Stabat Mater |
| Added | 1997 PÄR 01 |
| CD 2 | Columns Classics 290239: Miserere - Lamentations |
| About this CD | This is a very beautiful CD and it includes the version of
Palestrina I like the best. The voices move forward together beautifully. Recorded at the Chapel of Jesus College, Cambridge, in July 1995. |
| Choir | Choir of Clare college, Cambridge |
| Conductor | Timothy Brown |
| Other works | Gregorio Allegri, Miserere Thomas Weelkes, When David heard Robert Ramsey, How are the Mighty fallen Henry Purcel, Funeral Sentences for Queen Mary |
| Added | 1996 (PAL 01) |
| CD 3 | Mitra Cd 16 290: Stabat Mater |
| About this CD | A very fast version of Palestrina. I get a feeling that this
choir was not up to Palestrina yet. Nevertheless, as the CD contains 5 Stabat Mater
settings, it should be a "must" for every collector, especially as it has the
only Gaffori registration that I know of. Recorded at the St.Martinus church, Euskirchen-Kirchheim, in July 1995. I bought this CD in a record shop in the Netherlands, 1998 |
| Choir | Figural Chor Köln |
| Conductor | Richard Mailänder |
| Other works | Dom Fonteinnes, Gregorian chant Franchino Gaffori, Stabat Mater Josef Gabriel Rheinberger, Stabat Mater Frantisek Ignac Antonin Tuma, Stabat Mater |
| Added | 1998 GAF 01 |
| CD 4 | KRO ES47.387: Stabat Mater This CD is produced by the Dutch KRO radio, in cooperation with the Stabat Mater Foundation. |
| About this CD | Even faster than CD 3. Nevertheless, a fine performance in a
suitable location. Moreover, it features the world premiere of the Stabat Mater by Fiocco. It is a recording of a concert performed on April 1, 2001 in the St.Petrus church at Oirschot. |
| Choir | Capella Brugensis |
| Conductor | Patrick Peire |
| Other works | Pietro Antonio Fiocco, Stabat Mater Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Stabat Mater |
| Added | 2001 (FIO 01) |
| CD 5 | Stabat Mater 2007 A Capella This CD is produced by the Stabat Mater Foundation. |
| About this CD | This cd is a recording of a concert performed on March 25, 2007 in the St.Petrus church at Oirschot. |
| Choir | Dutch Chamber Choir |
| Conductor | Klaas Stok |
| Other works | Franz Wüllner, Stabat Mater William Cornysh, Stabat Mater Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Stabat Mater Alphons Diepenbrock, Stabat Mater Krysztof Penderecki, Stabat Mater |
| Added | 2007 (WULL 01) |
E-mail:
stabatmater@dds.nl