Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (January 4, 1710 – March 16, 1736) was an Itali… Read Full Bio ↴Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (January 4, 1710 – March 16, 1736) was an Italian composer, violinist and organist.

Pergolesi was born in Jesi, Italy, where he studied music under Francesco Santini there before going to Naples in 1725 where he studied under Gaetano Greco among others. He spent most of his life working in Neapolitan courts.

Pergolesi was one of the most important early composers of opera buffa (comic opera). His opera seria Il prigioner superbo contained the two act buffa intermezzo, La Serva Padrona (The Landlady Servant, 1733), which became a very popular work in its own right. When it was given in Paris in 1752, it prompted the so-called querelle des bouffons (quarrel of the comedians) between supporters of serious French opera by the likes of Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau and supporters of new Italian comic opera. Pergolesi was held up as a model of the Italian style during this quarrel, which divided Paris's musical community for two years.

Among Pergolesi's other operatic works are his first opera La conversione e morte di San Guglielmo (1731), Lo frate 'nnammorato (The friar in love, 1732), L'Olimpiade (1735) and Il Flaminio (1735). All his operas were premiered in Naples apart from L'Olimpiade which was first given in Rome.

Pergolesi also wrote sacred music, including a Mass in F. It is his Stabat Mater (1736), however, for male soprano, male alto and orchestra, which is his best known sacred work. It was commissioned as a replacement for the one by Alessandro Scarlatti which had been performed each Good Friday in Naples. The work remained popular, becoming the most frequently printed work of the 18th century, and being arranged by a number of other composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach, who used it as the basis for his psalm Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden, BWV 1083.

Pergolesi wrote a number of secular instrumental works, including a violin sonata and a violin concerto. A considerable number of instrumental and sacred works once attributed to Pergolesi have since been shown to be falsely attributed. Much of Igor Stravinsky's ballet, Pulcinella, which ostensibly reworks pieces by Pergolesi, is actually based on spurious works. The Concerti Armonici are now known to be composed by Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer.

Stabat Mater 07
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Lyrics

We have lyrics for these tracks by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi:

I Stabat Mater Stabat Mater dolorosa Juxta crucem lacrimosa dum pendebat Fi…
Salve Regina Salve Regina, mater misericordiae: vita, dulcedo, et spes no…
Stabat Mater Stabat Mater dolorosa Juxta crucem lacrimosa dum pendebat Fi…
Stabat Mater - 1. Stabat Mater dolorosa Stabat Mater dolorosa Iuxta cruce lacrimosa Iuxta cruce lacr…
Stabat Mater 08 Stabat Mater dolorosa Juxta crucem lacrimosa dum pendebat Fi…
Stabat mater dolorosa Stabat mater dolorosa Juxta Crucem lacrimosa, Dum pendebat F…
Stabat mater: I. Stabat mater dolorosa pergolessi stabat pergolesl phillippe jaroussky diego fasoll…
Stabat Mater: IV. Quae moerebat et dolebat Stabat mater dolorosa Juxta Crucem lacrimosa, Dum pendebat F…
Stabat mater: Stabat mater Stabat Mater dolorosa Juxta crucem lacrimosa dum pendebat Fi…

The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos

TRACKS

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@davidrehak3539

6y↑29

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi:Stabat Mater
1.Stabat Mater dolorosa (Grave) 00:10
2.Cujus animam gementem (Andante amoroso) 04:37
3.O quam tristis et afflicta (Larghetto) 06:41
4.Quae moerebat et dolebat (Allegro) 08:53
5.Quis est homo (Largo) 10:33
6.Vidit suum dulcem natum (A tempo giusto) 13:20
7.Eja mater fons amoris (Andantino) 16:48
8.Fac ut ardeat cor meum (Allegro) 19:06
9.Sancta mater, istud agas (A tempo giusto) 21:13
10.Fac ut portem Christi mortem (Largo) 26:17
11.Inflammatus et accensus (Allegro) 30:02
12.Quando corpus morietur (Largo assai) 31:52
Núria Rial-szoprán
Carlos Mena-kontratenor
Ricercar Consort
Vezényel:Philippe Pierlot

@Delmonaco1969

4y↑4

Stabat Mater dolorosa iuxta crucem lacrimosa dum pendebat Filius
Em pé, a Mãe dolorosa, chorando junto à cruz da qual pendia seu Filho.
De pé, a mãe dolorosa junto da cruz, lacrimosa, via o filho que pendia

Cuius animam gementem contristatam et dolentem pertransivit gladius
Cuja alma gemente, entristecida e dolorida por causa da espada que atravessava
Na sua alma agoniada enterrou-se a dura espada de uma antiga profecia

O quam tristis et afflicta fuit illa benedicta Mater Unigeniti
Oh, quanto triste a tão aflita ela estava, a mãe bendita do Unigenito
Oh! Quão triste e quão aflita entre todas, Mãe bendita, que só tinha aquele Filho

Quae moerebat et dolebat et tremebat cum videbat nati poenas inclyti
Quae moerebat et dolebat Pia Mater dum videbat nati poenas inclyti
Como suspirava e gemia [e tremia] Mãe Piedosa, ao ver os sofrimentos de seu divino Filho
Quanta angústia não sentia, Mãe piedosa quando via as penas do Filho seu!

Quis est homo qui non fleret Matri Christi si videret in tanto supplicio?
Quem homem não choraria se visse a Mãe de Cristo em tamanho suplício?
Quem não chora vendo isso: contemplando a Mãe de Cristo num suplício tão enorme?

Quis non posset contristari Matrem Christi contemplari dolentum cum filio?
Quem não se entristeceria ao contemplar a Mãe de Cristo, condoída com seu filho?
Quem haverá que resista se a Mãe assim se contrista padecendo com seu Filho?

Pro peccatis suae gentis vidit Iesum in tormentis et flagellis subditum
Pelos pecados de seu povo, viu Jesus em tormentos e submetido aos flagelos.
Por culpa de sua gente Vira Jesus inocente Ao flagelo submetido

Vidit suum dulcem natum moriendo desolatum dum emisit spiritum
Viu seu doce nascido [filho] morrendo abandonado quando entregou seu espírito
Vê agora o seu amado pelo Pai abandonado, entregando seu espírito

Eia Mater, fons amoris, me sentire vim doloris fac ut tecum lugeam
Eia, mãe, fonte de amor, faz-me sentir tanto as dores que eu possa chorar contigo.
Faze, ó Mãe, fonte de amor que eu sinta o espinho da dor para contigo chorar

Fac ut ardeat cor meum in amando Christum Deum ut sibi complaceam
Faz que arda meu coração de amor por Cristo Deus, para se compadecer
Faze arder meu coração do Cristo Deus na paixão para que o possa agradar

Sancta Mater, istud agas crucifixi fige plagas cordi meo valide
Santa Mãe, faze isto: que as chagas do crucificado sejam fortemente impressas em meu coração
Ó Santa Mãe dá-me isto, trazer as chagas de Cristo gravadas no coração.

Tui nati vulnerati tam dignati pro me pati poenas mecum divide
As feridas de teu filho, que por mim padeceu as penas, divide comigo.
Do teu filho que por mim entrega-se a morte assim, divide as penas comigo.

Fac me vere tecum flere crucifixo condolere donec ego vixero
Fac me tecum pie flere crucifixo condolere donec ego vixero
Faz-me contigo[piedosamente] verdadeiramente chorar, sofrer com o crucificado enquanto eu viver.
Oh! Dá-me enquanto viver com Cristo compadecer chorando sempre contigo.

Iuxta crucem tecum stare te libenter sociare in planctu desidero
Iuxta crucem tecum stare et me tibi sociare in planctu desidero
Quero estar contigo junto à cruz e, de boa vontade quero me associar ao teu pranto.
Junto à cruz eu quero estar quero o meu pranto juntar Às lágrimas que derramas

Virgo virginum praeclara mihi iam non sis amara fac me tecum plangere
Virgem das virgens preclara, não sejas amarga comigo, faz-me contigo chorar.
Virgem, que às virgens aclara, não sejas comigo avara dá-me contigo chorar.

Fac ut portem Christi mortem passionis eius sortem et plagas recolere
Fac ut portem Christi mortem passionis fac consortem et plagas recolere
Faz que eu traga a morte de Cristo, que eu participe de sua paixão e que venere suas chagas.
Traga em mim do Cristo a morte, da Paixão seja consorte, suas chagas celebrando.

Fac me plagis vulnerari cruce hac inebriari ob amorem filii
Fac me plagis vulnerari fac me cruce inebriari et cruore filii
Faz me ferido pelas chagas, pela cruz embriagado de amor pelo teu Filho.
Por elas seja eu rasgado, pela cruz inebriado, pelo sangue de teu Filho!

Inflammatus et accensus, per te, Virgo, sim defensus in die iudicii
Flammis ne urar succensus, per te, Virgo, sim defensus in die iudicii
Flammis orci ne succendar, per te, Virgo, fac, defendar in die iudicii
Inflamado e abrasado, que eu seja defendido por ti ó Virgem, no dia do Juízo.
No Julgamento consegue que às chamas não seja entregue quem por ti é defendido

Fac me cruce custodiri morte Christi praemuniri confoveri gratia
Christe cum sit hinc (iam) exire da per matrem me venire ad palmam vicoriae
Faz-me ser guardado pela cruz, fortalecido pela morte de Cristo e confortado pela graça.
Quando do mundo eu partir daí-me ó Cristo conseguir, por vossa Mãe a vitória

Quando corpus morietur fac ut animae donetur paradisi gloria. Amen
Quando meu corpo morrer, faz que minha alma alcance a glória do paraiso. Amén
Quando meu corpo morrer possa a alma merecer do Reino Celeste a glória. Amén

@leodepuydt308

One may have to be Signed In to Google to read all about Pergolesi’s uniqueness. There are five (5) sections I-V to my Youtube posting. And since III comes in IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc, that is in effect seven (7) sections.

ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL UNIQUENESS OF PERGOLESI’S MUSIC:
AN ESSAY (PART IIIc)

by Leo Depuydt

To the Memory of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), André Ernest Modeste Grétry (1741–1813), and Jean le Rond D’Alembert (1717–1783), Unconditional Admirers and Lovers of the Eternal Pergolesi’s Music, Comrades-in-Arms

(¬_Continuation from Part IIIb._)

APPENDIX: SUPPORTING MATERIALS

APPENDIX, SECTION Ic: Historical Notes on the Appreciation of Pergolesi’s Music (continued)

G. B. Pergolesi died at age 26. The way in which he was on occasion spitting blood from about age 20 and the fact that his three siblings had all died by age 2, 3, or 5, or so, led those who knew him to strongly suspect that he was not going to last all that long. Also, one of his legs was atrophied in some way. It all makes one wonder how such an eternal genius could inhabit such a crippled body. The way in which, in just six years of activity, he compiled a musical legacy that is unsurpassed if not unparalleled has been the subject of much wonder.
What if I had not accidentally heard G. B. Pergolesi’s Stabat mater a few years back on an inflight sound system and not caught, on radio, just a couple of years ago the tail end of a performance of his La Serva Padrona in English and then his entire Mass in F? I am not a complete novice in music. I have never been a professional musician. Still, I once was a member of a university symphony orchestra and in another context played Haydn’s trumpet concerto more than once by heart from beginning to end in the bygone years of my youth on an E-flat trumpet (I have not played in more than 25 years), including M. André’s cadenza at the end of the first movement, copied from an LP recording around 1980. I thought that I had a decent acquaintance with the history of music. But I had to ask myself two years ago or so: Who is this Pergolesi? Hey, that Stabat mater really rocks. But is there anything else? Probably not. And where is his native Jesi exactly? Never heard of it. Does it even exist? And more questions a year ago: Leonardo Leo, who’s that? I have no idea (on a personal note: that’s a really nice name). And where exactly is his native San Vito dei Normanni? Why don’t I get a map. Just start at Rome and keep going south south south. But don’t walk off into the Mediterranean. Ladies and gentlemen, signore e signori, let there be no mistake: Pergolesi e Leo rappresentano quello che è veramente importante in Italia: Eccellenza in nome dell’eccellenza.

PS I wholeheartedly endorse the efforts of “Raimondo di Sangro” on YouTube and www.livestream.com/radio700 to promote the music of early and later settecento Napoli. Check it out. Hundreds of recordings providing unlimited delight. Viva Partenope! Partenope viva!

NOTES
[1] Ch. Burney, “A General History of Music,” Vol. IV, Printed for the Author, London, 1789, p. 557.
[2] A. E. M. Grétry, “Mémoires ou essais sur la musique,” Vol. I, Printer of the Republic, Paris, Year 5 [of the French Republic], p. 424.
[3] G. Radiciotti, “G. B. Pergolesi: Vita, opere ed influenza su l’arte (con multi esempi musicali ed illustrazioni),” Edizione “Musica,” Rome, 1910.
[4] M. H. Paymer and H. W. Williams, “Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: A Guide to Research,” Garland Composer Resources Manuals, Vol. 26, Garland Publishing Inc., New York and London, 1989.
[5] A. E. M. Grétry, “Mémoires ou essais sur la musique,” Vol. I, Printer of the Republic, Paris, Year 5 [of the French Republic], p. 424.
[6] Ch. Burney, “A General History of Music,” Vol. IV, Printed for the Author, London, 1789, p. 556.
[7] G. Radiciotti, “G. B. Pergolesi: Vita, opere ed influenza su l’arte (con multi esempi musicali ed illustrazioni),” Edizione “Musica,” Rome, 1910, p. 275.
[8] M. E. Paymer and H. W. Williams, “Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: A Guide to Research,” Garland Composer Resources Manuals, Vol. 26, Garland Publishing Inc., New York and London, 1989, p. 84.
[9] M. E. Paymer and H. W. Williams, “Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: A Guide to Research,” Garland Composer Resources Manuals, Vol. 26, Garland Publishing Inc., New York and London, 1989, p. 98.
[10] M. E. Paymer and H. W. Williams, “Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: A Guide to Research,” Garland Composer Resources Manuals, Vol. 26, Garland Publishing Inc., New York and London, 1989, p. 105.
[11] M. E. Paymer and H. W. Williams, “Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: A Guide to Research,” Garland Composer Resources Manuals, Vol. 26, Garland Publishing Inc., New York and London, 1989, p. 96.
[12] A. E. M. Grétry, “Mémoires ou essais sur la musique,” Vol. I, Printer of the Republic, Paris, Year 5 [of the French Republic], pp. 426-427.
[13] Ch. Burney, “A General History of Music,” Vol. IV, Printed for the Author, London, 1789, pp. 551-552.
[14] G. Radiciotti, “G. B. Pergolesi: Vita, opere ed influenza su l’arte (con multi esempi musicali ed illustrazioni),” Edizione “Musica,” Rome, 1910, p. 27.
[15] G. Radiciotti and A.-E. Cherbulliez, Ed., “Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: Leben und Werk,” Pan-Verlag, Zürich, 1954, p. 49.
[16] G. Radiciotti and A.-E. Cherbulliez, Ed., “Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: Leben und Werk,” Pan-Verlag, Zürich, 1954, see index at “Leo, L.”

@leodepuydt308

One may have to be Signed In to Google to read all about Pergolesi’s uniqueness. There are five (5) sections I-V to my Youtube posting. And since III comes in IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc, that is in effect seven (7) sections.

ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL UNIQUENESS OF PERGOLESI’S MUSIC:
AN ESSAY (PART I)

by Leo Depuydt

To the Memory of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), André Ernest Modeste Grétry (1741–1813), and Jean le Rond D’Alembert (1717–1783), Unconditional Admirers and Lovers of the Eternal Pergolesi’s Music, Comrades-in-Arms

[I provide some info on the uniqueness of Pergolesi’s music, divided into five parts for technological reasons, as follows:

1. Main text: Part I continued in Part II.
2. Appendix, Section Ia, Ib, and I c: Parts IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc
3. Appendix, Section II: Part IV
4. Appendix, Section III: Part V.]

I am the only person in the world—so it seems—to believe that, owing to his unique musicality, Pergolesi is the greatest composer of music to have ever existed (and also to believe that his friend and older contemporary Leonardo Leo is the second best [more on Leo’s music later]).
There is a need for a fundamental change of direction in the history of Western music. Stay tuned!
Make no mistake, however. Bach was a genius. Beethoven was a genius. But Leo is inimitable. And Pergolesi is transcendental.
Some materials about Pergolesi are provided in an appendix (see below). This appendix consists of three sections.
It is tempting to consider, as I once did until about four years ago (before which I had hardly heard of him!), Pergolesi to be a “one-trick-donkey” because he is mostly known only for his Stabat Mater, which is indeed phenomenal (it was recently voted Number One Classical Composition of All Time in the Leading Flemish [Belgian] Classical Music Station Klara). However, it is necessary to listen to all of Pergolesi carefully to understand why this musician’s musician is unparalleled. Pergolesi is a kind of world wonder (I think). And he was a cripple (pardon the political incorrectness) who was spitting blood from age 20 and died at age 26! How could such unparalleled musical sublimity exist in such a defective body?
If one makes the effort to listen extremely carefully, one can come to understand why the great composer André Grétry, a fellow Belgian of mine (he Walloon or French-speaking, I Flemish or Dutch-speaking [here is something a Belgian Fleming and a Belgian Walloon can really agree on!]), believed Pergolesi’s music to be “as indestructible as nature.” Grétry also wrote in his Memoirs (there is a restaurant called Mémoires de Grétry in Brussels, capital of Europe) as follows: “Pergolesi was born and the truth became known.” André, how right you are! Is not beauty and truth and harmony with nature all that we in the end aspire to?
But what is that makes Pergolesi unique? It is easy to find delirious statements in support of him by ardent admirers. But there have been, it needs to be admitted, ardent detractors, a few of them actually really vicious, we will deal with them elsewhere; they are all dead by the way.
A crucial question arises: How to define the unique musicality of Pergolesi? It is almost impossible to find a comprehensive statement of Pergolesi’s unparalleled musicality anywhere.
I had been looking for some written corroborative expression of the features that I experience to be transcendental every time I listen to Pergolesi’s music.
And then, it came to my attention, rather unexpectedly, that the absolutely unique properties of Pergolesi’s music had been summed up for the most part in the early nineteenth century by Carlo Antonio de Rosa, Marquese di Villarosa (1762–1847). There was so much confusion about the life of Pergolesi that the Marquese di Villarosa strongly felt that clarification was needed. Even the simple fact that he was born in the city of Iesi near Ancona was unknown. The Marquese cleared up the matter. There is something completely bizarre about the fact that there was so much confusion about where the greatest composer of music of all time (I think) was born. J. S. Bach definitely did not suffer from the same problem.
The Marquese di Villarosa published a “Biographical Letter” on Pergolesi in 1830, summarized it in 1840 in his celebrated Memoirs of Neapolitan composers, and updated the letter in 1843 with a second edition. It is from the second edition of the letter that I will excerpt the following passage. This is the greatest musical apology ever written (I think), and that in defense of the greatest musical composer who ever set foot on this earth (I think). Yet, it is totally unknown. How is this possible? When I read this, it confirmed every characteristic that I had come to accept as absolutely unique in about four years of listening to Pergolesi’s music. It seemed like everything that I had been looking for.
I will cite de Rosa in Italian. I refuse to translate it. It is not possible to understand the absolute genius of Pergolesi without knowing Italian (some of it in the Neapolitan dialect in regard to musical comedies) and Latin (in regard to religious music). I have added numbered paragraphs to structure the text somewhat in order to articulate the transcendental properties of Pergolesi’s music. I hope to somehow illustrate them with concrete musical examples elsewhere. The crucial passage appears on pages 18 and 19 of the second edition of his letter, dating as was said to 1843.
I provisionally believe that it is possible to articulate eleven discrete characteristics of Pergolesi’s music in de Rosa’s characterization of it. The first six are said to set him apart from his teacher Francesco Durante (1684–1755)—and from most composers, I like to think. Four more characteristics involve properties that de Rosa believes was “the first” to exhibit. A fifth characteristic is embedded in the fourth characteristic. But I treat it here separately as an eleventh characteristic.
A more refined analysis is desirable. But for the time being, de Rosa’s assessment will do. It should serve as the beacon of a definitive assessment of Pergolesi that is still to come. The Marquese di Villarosa was the first (and the only?) to present a detailed and more technical assessment of Pergolesi’s transcendence. He fully deserves the credit for having been the first to articulate it so well.
How do these characteristics typify Pergolesi’s music as absolutely unique? It cannot be said that all of these characteristics are unique to Pergolesi, although some come quite close and a couple of them probably are. I will need to work more on an exact calibration of the singular characteristics of Pergolesi’s music. Still, de Rosa’s characterization comes close to what is desired to capture Pergolesi’s ¬_total_ uniqueness. And in its totality, it suffices in my opinion to make the case that Pergolesi was the greatest composer ever. de Rosa was positively overwhelmed in the 1830s and 1840s, and so am I. I am not sure who else is. de Rosa’s text is as follows.
[Psst! I decided last minute to add an English translation. Please see further below.]

(Main text continued in Part II)

@leodepuydt308

One may have to be Signed In to Google to read all about Pergolesi’s uniqueness. There are five (5) sections I-V to my Youtube posting. And since III comes in IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc, that is in effect seven (7) sections.

ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL UNIQUENESS OF PERGOLESI’S MUSIC:
AN ESSAY (PART I)

by Leo Depuydt

To the Memory of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), André Ernest Modeste Grétry (1741–1813), and Jean le Rond D’Alembert (1717–1783), Unconditional Admirers and Lovers of the Eternal Pergolesi’s Music, Comrades-in-Arms

[I provide some info on the uniqueness of Pergolesi’s music, divided into five parts for technological reasons, as follows:

1. Main text: Part I continued in Part II.
2. Appendix, Section Ia, Ib, and I c: Parts IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc
3. Appendix, Section II: Part IV
4. Appendix, Section III: Part V.]

I am the only person in the world—so it seems—to believe that, owing to his unique musicality, Pergolesi is the greatest composer of music to have ever existed (and also to believe that his friend and older contemporary Leonardo Leo is the second best [more on Leo’s music later]).
There is a need for a fundamental change of direction in the history of Western music. Stay tuned!
Make no mistake, however. Bach was a genius. Beethoven was a genius. But Leo is inimitable. And Pergolesi is transcendental.
Some materials about Pergolesi are provided in an appendix (see below). This appendix consists of three sections.
It is tempting to consider, as I once did until about four years ago (before which I had hardly heard of him!), Pergolesi to be a “one-trick-donkey” because he is mostly known only for his Stabat Mater, which is indeed phenomenal (it was recently voted Number One Classical Composition of All Time in the Leading Flemish [Belgian] Classical Music Station Klara). However, it is necessary to listen to all of Pergolesi carefully to understand why this musician’s musician is unparalleled. Pergolesi is a kind of world wonder (I think). And he was a cripple (pardon the political incorrectness) who was spitting blood from age 20 and died at age 26! How could such unparalleled musical sublimity exist in such a defective body?
If one makes the effort to listen extremely carefully, one can come to understand why the great composer André Grétry, a fellow Belgian of mine (he Walloon or French-speaking, I Flemish or Dutch-speaking [here is something a Belgian Fleming and a Belgian Walloon can really agree on!]), believed Pergolesi’s music to be “as indestructible as nature.” Grétry also wrote in his Memoirs (there is a restaurant called Mémoires de Grétry in Brussels, capital of Europe) as follows: “Pergolesi was born and the truth became known.” André, how right you are! Is not beauty and truth and harmony with nature all that we in the end aspire to?
But what is that makes Pergolesi unique? It is easy to find delirious statements in support of him by ardent admirers. But there have been, it needs to be admitted, ardent detractors, a few of them actually really vicious, we will deal with them elsewhere; they are all dead by the way.
A crucial question arises: How to define the unique musicality of Pergolesi? It is almost impossible to find a comprehensive statement of Pergolesi’s unparalleled musicality anywhere.
I had been looking for some written corroborative expression of the features that I experience to be transcendental every time I listen to Pergolesi’s music.
And then, it came to my attention, rather unexpectedly, that the absolutely unique properties of Pergolesi’s music had been summed up for the most part in the early nineteenth century by Carlo Antonio de Rosa, Marquese di Villarosa (1762–1847). There was so much confusion about the life of Pergolesi that the Marquese di Villarosa strongly felt that clarification was needed. Even the simple fact that he was born in the city of Iesi near Ancona was unknown. The Marquese cleared up the matter. There is something completely bizarre about the fact that there was so much confusion about where the greatest composer of music of all time (I think) was born. J. S. Bach definitely did not suffer from the same problem.
The Marquese di Villarosa published a “Biographical Letter” on Pergolesi in 1830, summarized it in 1840 in his celebrated Memoirs of Neapolitan composers, and updated the letter in 1843 with a second edition. It is from the second edition of the letter that I will excerpt the following passage. This is the greatest musical apology ever written (I think), and that in defense of the greatest musical composer who ever set foot on this earth (I think). Yet, it is totally unknown. How is this possible? When I read this, it confirmed every characteristic that I had come to accept as absolutely unique in about four years of listening to Pergolesi’s music. It seemed like everything that I had been looking for.
I will cite de Rosa in Italian. I refuse to translate it. It is not possible to understand the absolute genius of Pergolesi without knowing Italian (some of it in the Neapolitan dialect in regard to musical comedies) and Latin (in regard to religious music). I have added numbered paragraphs to structure the text somewhat in order to articulate the transcendental properties of Pergolesi’s music. I hope to somehow illustrate them with concrete musical examples elsewhere. The crucial passage appears on pages 18 and 19 of the second edition of his letter, dating as was said to 1843.
I provisionally believe that it is possible to articulate eleven discrete characteristics of Pergolesi’s music in de Rosa’s characterization of it. The first six are said to set him apart from his teacher Francesco Durante (1684–1755)—and from most composers, I like to think. Four more characteristics involve properties that de Rosa believes was “the first” to exhibit. A fifth characteristic is embedded in the fourth characteristic. But I treat it here separately as an eleventh characteristic.
A more refined analysis is desirable. But for the time being, de Rosa’s assessment will do. It should serve as the beacon of a definitive assessment of Pergolesi that is still to come. The Marquese di Villarosa was the first (and the only?) to present a detailed and more technical assessment of Pergolesi’s transcendence. He fully deserves the credit for having been the first to articulate it so well.
How do these characteristics typify Pergolesi’s music as absolutely unique? It cannot be said that all of these characteristics are unique to Pergolesi, although some come quite close and a couple of them probably are. I will need to work more on an exact calibration of the singular characteristics of Pergolesi’s music. Still, de Rosa’s characterization comes close to what is desired to capture Pergolesi’s ¬_total_ uniqueness. And in its totality, it suffices in my opinion to make the case that Pergolesi was the greatest composer ever. de Rosa was positively overwhelmed in the 1830s and 1840s, and so am I. I am not sure who else is. de Rosa’s text is as follows.
[Psst! I decided last minute to add an English translation. Please see further below.]

(Main text continued in Part II)

@leodepuydt308

One may have to be Signed In to Google to read all about Pergolesi’s uniqueness. There are five (5) sections I-V to my Youtube posting. And since III comes in IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc, that is in effect seven (7) sections.

ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL UNIQUENESS OF PERGOLESI’S MUSIC:
AN ESSAY (PART IIIa)

by Leo Depuydt

To the Memory of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), André Ernest Modeste Grétry (1741–1813), and Jean le Rond D’Alembert (1717–1783), Unconditional Admirers and Lovers of the Eternal Pergolesi’s Music, Comrades-in-Arms

APPENDIX: SUPPORTING MATERIALS

APPENDIX, SECTION Ia: Historical Notes on the Appreciation of Pergolesi’s Music

It needs to be said—and it needs to be repeated—about the composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736): Pergolesi rappresenta quello che è veramente importante in Italia: Eccellenza in nome dell’eccellenza.
Style is everything, dixit G.-L. Leclerc (1707–1783), Comte de Buffon, who actually said, “The style is the man (Le style c’est l’homme même)”. In that regard, G. B. Pergolesi (1710–1736) is a true inspiration.
The celebrated traveler, author, and musician Ch. Burney (1726–1814), father of the novelist Fanny Burney, described G. B. Pergolesi’s music not only as singularly clear (chiaro), simple (semplice), and true (vero), but also as sweet (dolce) [1].
In this connection, the Belgian composer A. E. M. Grétry (1741–1813), who won great acclaim at theaters and the royal court in France, who wrote the music for Voltaire’s funeral, and whose body is buried at the famed Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris while his heart rests in a shrine below a statue of him towering in front of the Royal Opera of Wallonia in his native Liège in Belgium, famously stated the following about G. B. Pergolesi in his Memoirs [2]:
Pergolesi was born and the truth was known (Pergolèze naquit et la vérité fut connue).
G. Radiciotti fittingly put this statement on the title page of the first edition of his biography of G. B. Pergolesi [3]. A street is named after A. E. M. Grétry in the center of Brussels, Belgium. And a restaurant in this street even bears the name of his memoirs.
G. B. Pergolesi’s most ardent admirer, A. E. M. Grétry, seems to have suffered a fate even worse than the subject of his admiration. One just wonders how many patrons of the afore-mentioned restaurant “The Memoirs of Grétry” in the Grétry Street in Brussels know who A. E. M. Grétry was.
A remarkable property characterizes the personality and the work of G. B. Pergolesi. After a long interlude of oblivion, his star has been—relatively speaking—sharply on the rise in the last 30 to 40 years or so, accelerating rapidly especially in the 1980s and 1990s, most of the acceleration occurring after my undergraduate years and much of it even after my graduate work. This means that, when I was a student, there would have been little incentive to recognize G. B. Pergolesi as a prime paragon of Western civilization. And in fact, my own interest in his personality and his work has been the result of chance encounters in recent years. I happened to hear his incomparable Stabat mater a few years ago just by accident. Very nice. But I assumed that he was a “one-trick-donkey” who had died young. Little did I know until about two years ago.
There has been a flurry of activity roughly in recent decades, accelerating in the 1980s and the 1990s. This activity includes world premiers in modern times of many musical works including his seemingly forgotten operas, conferences devoted to him, a new series entitled “Pergolesi Studies/Studi Pergolesiani”, research centers founded in New York and Milan, and a guide to research [4], to which I refer for more detail. B. S. Brook, F. Degrada, H. Hucke, D.E. Monson, M. E. Paymer, C. Toscani, and others have been at the forefront of the revival of Pergolesi scholarship.
It may be noted in the margin that the music by A. E. M. Grétry has also made something of a comeback. And, in general, period interpretations of baroque works have been on the rise. For half of my life, the second Brandenburg concert was almost never played on natural baroque trumpets. Now, using a natural trumpet is de rigueur.
It will be useful to buttress what has been said before, first, by detailing G. B. Pergolesi’s style a little more and second by showing that the revival of his music is not a fluke in the sense that—while there have been his detractors, some ardent—many others have considered his music unsurpassed and some even unparalleled.
Four observations on style. First, “natural” is a property that I should have added to the characteristics of G. B. Pergolesi’s style already mentioned above and also elsewhere. According to A. E. M. Grétry [5],
the truth of declamation constituting [G. B. Pergolesi’s] songs is as indestructible as nature (la vérité de déclamation qui constitue ses chants, est indestructible comme la nature).
Second, G. B. Pergolesi is in my opinion on quite a few occasions just ever so subtly mischievous (birichino in Italian?) in a way that I only rarely discern in the music of other composers. It seems to mean that he does not take himself too seriously. And that is good to know.
Third, citing an eyewitness account gathered in the course of his travels in Italy, Ch. Burney describes G. B. Pergolesi as a “slow composer” [6]. His biographer G. Radiciotti interprets Ch. Burney as stating that the composer was “an accurate worker using a file ([un] lavoratore accurato e di lima)” [7]. This seems like a mistranslation improving on the original.
But the fourth characteristic has been the most inspiring, to me at least. It is the way in which G. B. Pergolesi’s lines of melody (supported by an accompaniment that never takes control but impeccably does all it possibly can to enhance the melodic line) run from the very beginning to the very end without a single note being out of place, and all this with—at almost every turn—plenty of originality and unexpected and interesting twists that surprise but never either disrupt the line or displease. Originality by itself could be classified as yet a fifth characteristic.
G. B. Pergolesi’s melodic lines stand as a metaphor of how one would like an intellectual argument to proceed. Again, style is everything. D. Monson has established that the composer “wrote the music for the vocal line before writing the bass and accompaniment” [8]. In the same way, the stepwise rigorous intellectual coherence of the main line of an intellectual argument is paramount.
(Continued in Part IIIb.)

All comments from YouTube:

@user-vj5kx6gn7m

28w↑2

Неужели это создано в возрасте 20 с небольшим лет? Это поразительно, а ещё более, восхитительно!!!!!❤❤
Перголезе! Это что то! Вечная ему память на все времена.

@user-lb3mf3xm6b

4y↑5

Чудеснейшие голоса, потрясающая музыка!!! Слава гению и величайшему композитору Перголези!!! Спасибо исполнителям и хормейстера за титанический труд!!!

@hrabiahoreszko2123

3y↑48

Those commercials are like sins

@dewfairy1573

2y↑2

so true.

@Brasilianischer_Komponist

absolutely , i stopped watching because i cant trust this channel for this. It shows a complete lack of sensibility. I heard this on good friday and pissed me of right on ii moviment

@hrabiahoreszko2123

2y↑1

@@Brasilianischer_Komponist adblock and some other addons can solve it

@Wolfganger

14w

@user-qo8uw4hv5b

@soniasalinas7034

6y↑7

ES UNA OBRA MAGISTRALMENTE GRANDIOSA CATALOGÁNDOLO PATRIMONIO DE LA HUMANIDAD .DEBE SER ESCUCHADO POR TODAS LAS GENERACIONES EN TRÁNSITO MANTENIENDO ASÍ VIVA El ALMA DE SU COMPOSITOR POR TODA LA ETERNIDAD.
GRACIAS A ESTE MARAVILLOSO MEDIO DE COMUNICACIÓN QUE NOS PERMITE TAN SUBLIME CÁNTICO.
Los Ángeles Chile.

@jean-francoiscorcy6887

2y↑4

Je vous exprime ma plus profonde gratitude. Il s'agit du le meilleur enregistrement de cette œuvre que j'ais écouté. À la différence de l'interprétation opératique, la voix de ces artistes est si pure ! si pure ! et spirituelle ! Vraiment à recommander. (The very best recording !)

@TheSutov

20w↑3

a work of a genius, so happy to be able to admire such invention, such mastery with simple yet condensed harmonic flow in a wonderful counterpoint. The ensemble is fantastic.

@caniomusicroom

3y↑4

Meraviglioso Pergolesi! In questo stabat mater c'è una classe infinita. Mozart deve aver succhiato molto di questo dolce nettare...

@Glockenbua

2y↑3

Beeindruckendes Werk von G. Pergolesi! Jeder Teil hat sein einzigartiges Etwas. Stimmt wirklich alles ins Detail! Dieses junge Genie darf nicht vergessen werden!

@humamghassib2685

8y↑169

To write such a masterpiece at the tender age of 26 is nothing short of a miracle. These 'deathbed' works are particularly moving (Pergolesi; Mozart; Marcel Proust; ... ).

@peneleapai

5y↑7

Agreed.

I am just fresh from a concert tour of this composition (having only sung in the choir for no.8 and the amen), and the more I learnt about it (only once we began performing!!),
the more moved I was. I don't know if all of us (in the choir) understood the full weight of the composition, but even contemplating on this young man in 1736, who completed the final chorus on his deathbed, ... is/was a struggle for me to maintain composure. What a gift. The mysteries of life, art, beauty, and the movement of the Great Creation, or Love thru humans.
Amen!

@samuelmincarelli5051

Don’t forget about Shostakovich’s later works.

@orgue2999

3y↑2

Mahler 10.

@emanuelecanepa6312

2y↑3

Schubert...

@harryandruschak2843

8y↑43

As a devout Roman Catholic, I appreciate being able to hear works like this on a sunny afternoon here in LA. Too fast? Light operatic style? Maybe for 21st century listeners, but not for 18th century listeners. Or those who can comfortably understand and appreciate works like this on their own standards. Yes, I voted "like" :)

@olla-vogala4090

8y↑11

+Harry Andruschak You get it, Harry. This piece was made for the tastes of people in those days, it can be enjoyed on its own merits like that. Cheers!

@peneleapai

5y↑1

@@olla-vogala4090 Well put!

@reddeadandangryatcapitalism

Also, it's a lively piece, n oit a dirge, light and swift fits the emotional palette- I used to perform this piece myself and it's very appropriately done.

@PheonxD

5y↑28

Spectacular! Amazing voices and orchestra, truly a pleasure to follow them with the score on the screen.

@maurascafati1987

4y↑3

Bellissima. Meravigliosa e potente. Monumentale

@danielcoltrane

2y↑3

Tremenda obra del Mtro Pergolessi....como traída de otras galaxias...... Sublime!

@lys2073

52w

Y fue así. Su historia cuenta. ❤

@vittoriostarita4659

Bravissimi!!! Spettacolare Esecuzione adatta a questo Triste Momento di Guerra!! 😎😎😎🙏🙏🙏🌟💚🌟VICTOR STARITA

@dickwhite977

6y↑6

Beautiful voices and orchestra.

@mitzypinks1338

7y↑8

Really enjoyed this. Love love love the speedy Quae moerebat 😅. Sounds so dance like and bouncy and refreshing. Was a lovely surprise, made me sit up! What a wonderful countertenor. Such a versatile voice with real precision and agility.

@gabrielagraneros8141

3y↑2

Gracias por compartir la.partiturs plena con instrumentos y voces !!!!👏👏👏❤️ ❤️❤️

@Adaoleaoas

4y↑7

Música de verdade. A beleza das coisas ainda existe e merece ser conservada

@nene1082

2y↑1

I'm listening and singing with the soprano! Wonderful time so far! I love it

@pieterp6275

3y↑3

Thanks so much for uploading. i'm playing this with my string quartet and two fantastic soloists in November. So looking forward to it!

@flo-4175

2y↑1

Giovanni was the eras' top hot Artist in the 1700's. I can definitely hear why :) ...he created such a youthful solace within his music . Angelically liberating yet unorthodox. He managed to be such a sensation in his very short life. He composed in many music forms: including Opera. How Cool , a Child prodigy I suspect LOL

Added to my FAVS

Thanks for posting this!

@matthiaskraft8672

7y↑6

I love this sublime interpretation Carolos and Nuria are wonderful!!
Thank you for posting this masterpiece

@moniquehartmann3336

2y↑2

wonderful singers🤗🎶

@cristinag5798

7y↑2

Esta obra, me transporta al pie de la cruz... Puedo sentir el dolor de su madre! Saludos desde Argentina!

@maxicaas

a mi me pasa algo muy similar :)

@adyshih

3y↑1

Do youtube really need to insert 6 Ads, 6! n this 37 mins of most divine sacred work, I continued only because i'm reading a score upload here....

@oscaradams9550

3y↑3

hermoso de principio a fin

@josemanuelmallo

7y↑14

Quando corpus morietur make me weep. It is deeply moving and perfectly interpreted.

@peneleapai

5y↑2

Yes, beautiful.
The soloists are delicately and powerfully masterful in their art !

@salamaltamimi

4y↑32

the music holds the suffering of the world

@thomasmurphy43

Great pathos all right. But the suffering of the world?

@ShorkGamer

6y↑7

Wow. I have never seen a trill on voices before!

@layla.a

6y↑5

We are singing this at my school for our concert, and it really helps practicing this with the music and the parts written

@dickwhite977

Hope it went well

@peneleapai

5y↑1

YES!

We just went on Tour with this, and it was beautiful to listen to this recording now that it's all done...
It will remain in me for a long time to come I think....

@TwistedThunderKittie

8y↑24

ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you : + )

@peneleapai

It was far from my favourites when we had to learn it in January.

But now after touring with it for a mere 3 days, it is painful to have to leave it behind... Very touching and special music.....

@lio1701

6y↑5

C'est trop beau!
J'adore!!!!!!

@peneleapai

5y↑1

D'accord

@alojram

26w

Kocham tę muzę. Piękno i harmonia !

@revelchristian4145

6y↑4

Merci pour cette pépite !! Quelle pièce baroque admirablement ciselée !! Christian R vivement intéressé par la partie contre-ténor !

@spanishmasterpieces5203

3y↑5

Perhaps Pergolesi feels his death coming at 26 years! So he has written this masterpiece before his agony!

@rhymegames-puzzlesjigsawst2131

7y↑4

What a awesome video. Thanks for the love you put into it! Looking forward to seeing more :D

@janetsmithson3063

6y↑2

Very moving piece of music. Enjoyed very much!

@peterjongsma2754

5y↑7

Choral music is more soulful than opera.
Women's voices are so crystal and sublime.
True Worship.
The Holy Spirit gripping the heart by inspiring composers who had experienced Him.
In supreme Liturgy.
Gloria in exelsis Deo

@locsavaric2310

5y↑3

I don't mean to diminish your feelings about the piece, but here are a few things to keep in mind:
Pergolesi was famous primarily for his operas - especially opera buffa. Opera, in his day (early 1700s) was considered much more expressive than the "cold" learned style, which is what the church had primarily used previously. So he wrote this using operatic techniques.
It's funny you should say "true worship." Purists within the church argued that mixing operatic aesthetics with sacred music corrupted it, and made it less worthy of being performed specifically for worship. Nevertheless, people loved it, so it lived on.
You may like women's voices now, but back in the day, you may never had heard a woman sing sacred music - unless you traveled to a convent. Pergolesi wrote the piece for castrati. The castrato tradition was abondoned for obvious reasons, so today men who sing primarily in their falsetto are known as countertenors. The alto part, in this performance, is sung by a countertenor (i.e. a man).

@ivardozon8064

26w

Wonderful!

@enzopedretti2660

5y↑3

Genio di Pergolesi

@lys2073

52w↑1

Lindo, lindo!!!😢

@eligard1042

21w

This work feels so personal: written as he was in the throes of death, it reaches sublimity.

@mariananonato9142

29w

Perfect

@davidlicea9192

That Edim6#/G just hit and surprised me uuufffff
The third chord in the 3rd movement

@nicoloanzivino6181

7y↑2

Thanks for uploading.

@radixreuel7631

Amazing ✨ Thank You

@francoislebedel4428

Assez belle interprétation quoique inférieure à celle de Nathalie Stutzman avec l'inoubliable Emöke Barath et Philippe Jaroussky.
Les deux solistes sont excellents et la direction est précise et sensible.
Finalement, j'aime assez : la dramaturgie est bien présente et, avec elle, l'émotion.

@emanuelealfano

la linea del b. continuo è meravigliosa

@davidrehak3539

6y↑29

@peneleapai

Millle grazie!!

@RonLWilson

Thanks for adding the time stamps!

@daerhot1373

5y↑20

1 )Stabat mater dolorosaj 0:10
5) Quis est homo 10:34
8) Fac, ut ardeat cor meum 19:06
9) Sancta Mater, istud agas 21:14
12) Quando corpus morietur 31:53

@ApplepieFTW

12/2) 36:08

@Delmonaco1969

4y↑4

@elchatismiquin6445

Giovanni Battista Draghi, su auténtico nombre. No confundir con otro compositor anterior del mismo nombre

@user-hl9bw9pj9c

4y↑2

10.35 Quis Est Homo!! That’s just heavenly !

@kasiapartyka8431

Does anyone have notes for the first part of Stabat Mater?

@F-Man

7y↑6

The opening of "Fac ut Christi Mortem..."

Oh my God. O__O

@andresdaniel6711

Why does the composer duplicate the bass melody in the viola section in some movements? What effect does he want to achieve? Is it to give more sonority to the lower registers?

@andresdaniel6711

@RünerTheWolf 25 Oh, thanks for the info!

Which Mozart symphonies are you talking about?

And what's going on with writting for the viola? Does one need to achieve a certain technique in order to do so?

@AleksandyrD

8y↑3

Is the organ taking the bass in this piece, or is there some other magical instrument whose name is yet unknown to myself? To note: I'm not referencing the stringed instruments. It's the keyed wind instrument that's got my fancy! =)

@rahelturk-konig5836

8y↑1

yes, it is an organ :)

@rahelturk-konig5836

8y↑1

i listened again, and now i'm not sure anymore.. it could be a cello, too..

@rahelturk-konig5836

8y↑2

yep, i think it's rather cello than organ.

@TheHouseofVinyl

7y↑1

It's called a positive

@TheBachChaconne

7y↑2

I think both organ and cello are playing.

6 More Replies...

@user-rp2rf2xk8i

Thanks

@paolonatalini4184

Awesome upload

@theresesn9688

8y↑5

excellent ,

@TomRobbins-zh5nv

20w

Muazzam

@jorgeaguirre7260

5y↑3

Who can give a thumbs down to Pergolesi´s Stabat Mater???????

@cberkhout3632

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Ricercar Consort
Philippe Pierlot
Núria Rial , Carlos Mena

olla-vogala ( jij maakt het werelds ) en Youtube.
Heel veel dank.

@olla-vogala4090

Graag gedaan Mr. Berkhout :)

@Merri-so3rc

😍✨✨

@fresacamaronbella3542

Ledigoo tumevezzzz hermosa pksoytumujerrrrr perooo nombreeee ay muchas mejoreskeyooooo y medijoooo Pedro esketuuuuu eres auténtica y esooooo es loke me llamooo la atencionnnn

@olivierbarthe2791

5y↑2

Bonjour je m appelle olivier barthe je suis musicien et j aurais bien aimé avoir la partition si possible bien sûr. Merci beaucoup cordialement olivier barthe

@megankelley1105

6y↑4

Has anyone noticed how similar Carlos Mena and Delphine Galou sound when singing Stabat Mater?

@olivier8326

At another level, Don t you think that Sting has put some Pergolosi's sabat Mater in its song "moon over bourbon street"?

@wintypes

5y↑1

Finis. Laus Deo.

@fresacamaronbella3542

Segunnnnn el antes andabnnnn detrsdeelllll guapisimassss cuando tenía 20 pero no las pelaba pk nokeria gastarrrrrr paraenviarleee asumama

@aleksandra827

A=415?

@karinbartels5372

wat een moorddadig tempo voor de zangers....hijg hijg..

@leodepuydt308

@dimitriosantonopoulos8858

8y↑3

φανταστικο ! απεκτο !
βεβαια λίγο η τραγουδίστρια δεν μου
αρεσε

@tokiWren

i do not understand why it is a semitone below how it is written!

@bunnybird9342

1y↑1

Baroque tuning

@danielnivia680

7y↑2

Timings 13:32 - 13:40 sounds like Astor Piazzolla

@JolPil

5y↑3

Piazolla sounds like Pergolesi there, yes.

@TwistedThunderKittie

8y↑2

Can someone tell me what style of singing this is? I much prefer it to the wild vibrato of opera.

@sehpianonah

8y↑4

+E I'm not sure, but I think, it's usual in baroque music (or it should be...) not to do such a "wild" vibrato like in classical operas. It's the actual practice of "early" music (but there are musicologists distingishing between early and baroque music.), where musical ornamentation was written into the scores (see the earliest italien operas) or where - as melodical ornamentations - part of the "unwritten knowledge" so nobody needed vibrato, as there where a lot of differentiating ways to show expression.
(Sorry for my curious english, I'm not used to express myself about professionally topics...)

@sehpianonah

+sehpianonah But I agree! This is my favourite version of Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater" on YouTube...

@patmccann4176

sehpianonah

@peneleapai

@@JoeGuardino mille grazie.
Very helpful.

@jamesacton8569

7y↑4

0:00 - 4:36
30:02 - 31:52
36:06 - 37:00

@Omega3131

At 27:57 the singer doesn't mach the score.

@anapaulafarano3070

Through the whole thing the singers don't match. I think the score is in a different key

@60bui

7y↑1

Allegro is NOT prestissimo, the Train is still in Station............

@jacquelinecastroravelo

Bent u Nederlandse afkomst? Olla vogala nestas...

@jamesacton8569

7y↑1

15:00

@carlev9702

France dolorosa

@winmine0327

In the 8th movement are they saying "Fac me"?

@bunnybird9342

"Fac" means "make" in Latin

@squartlypedersoli8477

8y↑4

666 visualizzations!

@sooltastoh8921

14:53

@princeandrey

8y↑11

So fast. Where is he going?

@olla-vogala4090

8y↑1

+Perry Weiner Who is he, the composer/conductor/soloist etc?

@princeandrey

+olla-vogala conductor

@TheTivec

I got to Quae moerebat et dolebat and immediately thought "oh wow, that's fast. in a hurry?" I think I prefer it closer to 120bpm instead of the 130bpm-ish this seems to sit at.

@mitzypinks1338

7y↑13

Actually I really like it at that speed. It was really exciting and he totally nailed it.

@cirrusron7891

7y↑1

Mitzy Pinks
..

ĺ

3 More Replies...

@user-fk4fn3vn3f

37:02

@Brasilianischer_Komponist

the ads shows that the curator prefers to sacrifice the message of the music, it hurts the open soul . Dislike 👎

@Gunnarr123abc

5y↑2

This song was in the collection of music belonging to Thomas Jefferson

@bunnybird9342

1y↑1

This honestly doesn't surprise me, given that Pergolesi's Stabat Mater was actually the single most reproduced piece in the 18th century. Also off-topic but his favorite composer was Haydn

@Gunnarr123abc

@@bunnybird9342 I didnt know that! Thanks for that info!

@bunnybird9342

@@Gunnarr123abc thanks

@meganm5341

6y↑5

Why is it that all of the audio recordings are in e minor when all the IMSLP versions of this piece are in f minor? For instance, the music displayed in this video is not the same key that the audio is in... Frustrating.

@peneleapai

I truly appreciate this dialogue here!!!!

@winkie4625

4y↑6

Megan Mattoon That is due to the fact that the pitch of most of baroque era’s music is a half tone lower than compared to modern notation. E.g. baroque instruments are tuned at 415 Hz for a‘, whereas modern instruments are tuned at 440 Hz.

@RonLWilson

4y↑1

BTW, here is an English translation of the Stabat Mater

https://www.stabatmater.info/english-translation/

@derekmiller7961

What the fuck did Núria Rial and Carlos Mena have to do with this?

@olla-vogala4090

8y↑5

They're the singers. Not sure what you mean...

@derekmiller7961

+olla-vogala Oh ok, that's fine then. I thought they might have been some couple who died recently or just had a passion for Pergolesi.

@julianchen285

7y↑2

is it just me or do the notes not match up with the music. Is it in the wrong key? I have sang this song and the music is same but sound is not. It also sounds different. I checked with someone who has perfect pitch and they confirmed this. Great song otherwise. :):)

@Anna-rf9xf

Julian Chen Maybe it's because the baroque "A" is about a half step lower then the modern A we use today. I'm not a music expert though.

@RandolphCrane

7y↑2

I was confused at first as well, but the a is at 415 Hz. It's the historic a which was used until modern orchestras decided to tune the a to 440-442 Hz. You could say this recording is authentic, probably done with historical instruments as well.

@elisekurosaki6276

The aspect dissonant of the melody is wanted by Pergolèse, it's baroque style. It's in minor and the notes are sometimes very close between sopranos and altos like just one tone and this is creating dissonance. Sounds weird but great at the same time isn't it? I had the chance to sing it in middle school and that was quite difficult but very pleasant :)

@peneleapai

5y↑1

@@elisekurosaki6276 THANK YOU
That is beautifully put
We only have returned from a 3day tour of this (complete with string quartet and 2 soloists from Vienna, paired with our organist and choir from Ireland here)

And I am only JUST BEGINNING to "know" this piece now, it feels like.

So intoxicatingly addictive, both painful, anguished and stunningly delicate, beautiful. SIGH!!!!

@fresacamaronbella3542

7y↑1

Poresooooo yo TE valoroooo y el divorcio noexisteeeee pa miiiiii un engano talvezzz perooooo notengo necesidddddd eres potente muyyy potente hasta el ultimoooo chorritooooo kesemeviene la tienes bien Paradaa tuuuuuuuuu tienes más potencia keyooooooo pero llegassss cansdoooo de trabajo yyonokieroooo molestarte perooooo tú eres potente de día yodenocheeee pero me encabronaba al principio poresooo y estoy tratandoooo de convertirme potente eneldiaaa y no enla noche

@olpmem1

5y↑2

Too fast...Music ruined because it is rushed...Philippe dear, this was not what Giovanni wrote!

@leodepuydt308

One may have to be Signed In to Google to read all about Pergolesi’s uniqueness. There are five (5) sections I-V to my Youtube posting. And since III comes in IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc, that is in effect seven (7) sections.

ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL UNIQUENESS OF PERGOLESI’S MUSIC:
AN ESSAY (PART I)

by Leo Depuydt

To the Memory of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), André Ernest Modeste Grétry (1741–1813), and Jean le Rond D’Alembert (1717–1783), Unconditional Admirers and Lovers of the Eternal Pergolesi’s Music, Comrades-in-Arms

[I provide some info on the uniqueness of Pergolesi’s music, divided into five parts for technological reasons, as follows:

1. Main text: Part I continued in Part II.
2. Appendix, Section Ia, Ib, and I c: Parts IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc
3. Appendix, Section II: Part IV
4. Appendix, Section III: Part V.]

I am the only person in the world—so it seems—to believe that, owing to his unique musicality, Pergolesi is the greatest composer of music to have ever existed (and also to believe that his friend and older contemporary Leonardo Leo is the second best [more on Leo’s music later]).
There is a need for a fundamental change of direction in the history of Western music. Stay tuned!
Make no mistake, however. Bach was a genius. Beethoven was a genius. But Leo is inimitable. And Pergolesi is transcendental.
Some materials about Pergolesi are provided in an appendix (see below). This appendix consists of three sections.
It is tempting to consider, as I once did until about four years ago (before which I had hardly heard of him!), Pergolesi to be a “one-trick-donkey” because he is mostly known only for his Stabat Mater, which is indeed phenomenal (it was recently voted Number One Classical Composition of All Time in the Leading Flemish [Belgian] Classical Music Station Klara). However, it is necessary to listen to all of Pergolesi carefully to understand why this musician’s musician is unparalleled. Pergolesi is a kind of world wonder (I think). And he was a cripple (pardon the political incorrectness) who was spitting blood from age 20 and died at age 26! How could such unparalleled musical sublimity exist in such a defective body?
If one makes the effort to listen extremely carefully, one can come to understand why the great composer André Grétry, a fellow Belgian of mine (he Walloon or French-speaking, I Flemish or Dutch-speaking [here is something a Belgian Fleming and a Belgian Walloon can really agree on!]), believed Pergolesi’s music to be “as indestructible as nature.” Grétry also wrote in his Memoirs (there is a restaurant called Mémoires de Grétry in Brussels, capital of Europe) as follows: “Pergolesi was born and the truth became known.” André, how right you are! Is not beauty and truth and harmony with nature all that we in the end aspire to?
But what is that makes Pergolesi unique? It is easy to find delirious statements in support of him by ardent admirers. But there have been, it needs to be admitted, ardent detractors, a few of them actually really vicious, we will deal with them elsewhere; they are all dead by the way.
A crucial question arises: How to define the unique musicality of Pergolesi? It is almost impossible to find a comprehensive statement of Pergolesi’s unparalleled musicality anywhere.
I had been looking for some written corroborative expression of the features that I experience to be transcendental every time I listen to Pergolesi’s music.
And then, it came to my attention, rather unexpectedly, that the absolutely unique properties of Pergolesi’s music had been summed up for the most part in the early nineteenth century by Carlo Antonio de Rosa, Marquese di Villarosa (1762–1847). There was so much confusion about the life of Pergolesi that the Marquese di Villarosa strongly felt that clarification was needed. Even the simple fact that he was born in the city of Iesi near Ancona was unknown. The Marquese cleared up the matter. There is something completely bizarre about the fact that there was so much confusion about where the greatest composer of music of all time (I think) was born. J. S. Bach definitely did not suffer from the same problem.
The Marquese di Villarosa published a “Biographical Letter” on Pergolesi in 1830, summarized it in 1840 in his celebrated Memoirs of Neapolitan composers, and updated the letter in 1843 with a second edition. It is from the second edition of the letter that I will excerpt the following passage. This is the greatest musical apology ever written (I think), and that in defense of the greatest musical composer who ever set foot on this earth (I think). Yet, it is totally unknown. How is this possible? When I read this, it confirmed every characteristic that I had come to accept as absolutely unique in about four years of listening to Pergolesi’s music. It seemed like everything that I had been looking for.
I will cite de Rosa in Italian. I refuse to translate it. It is not possible to understand the absolute genius of Pergolesi without knowing Italian (some of it in the Neapolitan dialect in regard to musical comedies) and Latin (in regard to religious music). I have added numbered paragraphs to structure the text somewhat in order to articulate the transcendental properties of Pergolesi’s music. I hope to somehow illustrate them with concrete musical examples elsewhere. The crucial passage appears on pages 18 and 19 of the second edition of his letter, dating as was said to 1843.
I provisionally believe that it is possible to articulate eleven discrete characteristics of Pergolesi’s music in de Rosa’s characterization of it. The first six are said to set him apart from his teacher Francesco Durante (1684–1755)—and from most composers, I like to think. Four more characteristics involve properties that de Rosa believes was “the first” to exhibit. A fifth characteristic is embedded in the fourth characteristic. But I treat it here separately as an eleventh characteristic.
A more refined analysis is desirable. But for the time being, de Rosa’s assessment will do. It should serve as the beacon of a definitive assessment of Pergolesi that is still to come. The Marquese di Villarosa was the first (and the only?) to present a detailed and more technical assessment of Pergolesi’s transcendence. He fully deserves the credit for having been the first to articulate it so well.
How do these characteristics typify Pergolesi’s music as absolutely unique? It cannot be said that all of these characteristics are unique to Pergolesi, although some come quite close and a couple of them probably are. I will need to work more on an exact calibration of the singular characteristics of Pergolesi’s music. Still, de Rosa’s characterization comes close to what is desired to capture Pergolesi’s ¬_total_ uniqueness. And in its totality, it suffices in my opinion to make the case that Pergolesi was the greatest composer ever. de Rosa was positively overwhelmed in the 1830s and 1840s, and so am I. I am not sure who else is. de Rosa’s text is as follows.
[Psst! I decided last minute to add an English translation. Please see further below.]

(Main text continued in Part II)

@leodepuydt308

One may have to be Signed In to Google to read all about Pergolesi’s uniqueness. There are five (5) sections I-V to my Youtube posting. And since III comes in IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc, that is in effect seven (7) sections.

ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL UNIQUENESS OF PERGOLESI’S MUSIC:
AN ESSAY (PART I)

by Leo Depuydt

To the Memory of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), André Ernest Modeste Grétry (1741–1813), and Jean le Rond D’Alembert (1717–1783), Unconditional Admirers and Lovers of the Eternal Pergolesi’s Music, Comrades-in-Arms

[I provide some info on the uniqueness of Pergolesi’s music, divided into five parts for technological reasons, as follows:

1. Main text: Part I continued in Part II.
2. Appendix, Section Ia, Ib, and I c: Parts IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc
3. Appendix, Section II: Part IV
4. Appendix, Section III: Part V.]

I am the only person in the world—so it seems—to believe that, owing to his unique musicality, Pergolesi is the greatest composer of music to have ever existed (and also to believe that his friend and older contemporary Leonardo Leo is the second best [more on Leo’s music later]).
There is a need for a fundamental change of direction in the history of Western music. Stay tuned!
Make no mistake, however. Bach was a genius. Beethoven was a genius. But Leo is inimitable. And Pergolesi is transcendental.
Some materials about Pergolesi are provided in an appendix (see below). This appendix consists of three sections.
It is tempting to consider, as I once did until about four years ago (before which I had hardly heard of him!), Pergolesi to be a “one-trick-donkey” because he is mostly known only for his Stabat Mater, which is indeed phenomenal (it was recently voted Number One Classical Composition of All Time in the Leading Flemish [Belgian] Classical Music Station Klara). However, it is necessary to listen to all of Pergolesi carefully to understand why this musician’s musician is unparalleled. Pergolesi is a kind of world wonder (I think). And he was a cripple (pardon the political incorrectness) who was spitting blood from age 20 and died at age 26! How could such unparalleled musical sublimity exist in such a defective body?
If one makes the effort to listen extremely carefully, one can come to understand why the great composer André Grétry, a fellow Belgian of mine (he Walloon or French-speaking, I Flemish or Dutch-speaking [here is something a Belgian Fleming and a Belgian Walloon can really agree on!]), believed Pergolesi’s music to be “as indestructible as nature.” Grétry also wrote in his Memoirs (there is a restaurant called Mémoires de Grétry in Brussels, capital of Europe) as follows: “Pergolesi was born and the truth became known.” André, how right you are! Is not beauty and truth and harmony with nature all that we in the end aspire to?
But what is that makes Pergolesi unique? It is easy to find delirious statements in support of him by ardent admirers. But there have been, it needs to be admitted, ardent detractors, a few of them actually really vicious, we will deal with them elsewhere; they are all dead by the way.
A crucial question arises: How to define the unique musicality of Pergolesi? It is almost impossible to find a comprehensive statement of Pergolesi’s unparalleled musicality anywhere.
I had been looking for some written corroborative expression of the features that I experience to be transcendental every time I listen to Pergolesi’s music.
And then, it came to my attention, rather unexpectedly, that the absolutely unique properties of Pergolesi’s music had been summed up for the most part in the early nineteenth century by Carlo Antonio de Rosa, Marquese di Villarosa (1762–1847). There was so much confusion about the life of Pergolesi that the Marquese di Villarosa strongly felt that clarification was needed. Even the simple fact that he was born in the city of Iesi near Ancona was unknown. The Marquese cleared up the matter. There is something completely bizarre about the fact that there was so much confusion about where the greatest composer of music of all time (I think) was born. J. S. Bach definitely did not suffer from the same problem.
The Marquese di Villarosa published a “Biographical Letter” on Pergolesi in 1830, summarized it in 1840 in his celebrated Memoirs of Neapolitan composers, and updated the letter in 1843 with a second edition. It is from the second edition of the letter that I will excerpt the following passage. This is the greatest musical apology ever written (I think), and that in defense of the greatest musical composer who ever set foot on this earth (I think). Yet, it is totally unknown. How is this possible? When I read this, it confirmed every characteristic that I had come to accept as absolutely unique in about four years of listening to Pergolesi’s music. It seemed like everything that I had been looking for.
I will cite de Rosa in Italian. I refuse to translate it. It is not possible to understand the absolute genius of Pergolesi without knowing Italian (some of it in the Neapolitan dialect in regard to musical comedies) and Latin (in regard to religious music). I have added numbered paragraphs to structure the text somewhat in order to articulate the transcendental properties of Pergolesi’s music. I hope to somehow illustrate them with concrete musical examples elsewhere. The crucial passage appears on pages 18 and 19 of the second edition of his letter, dating as was said to 1843.
I provisionally believe that it is possible to articulate eleven discrete characteristics of Pergolesi’s music in de Rosa’s characterization of it. The first six are said to set him apart from his teacher Francesco Durante (1684–1755)—and from most composers, I like to think. Four more characteristics involve properties that de Rosa believes was “the first” to exhibit. A fifth characteristic is embedded in the fourth characteristic. But I treat it here separately as an eleventh characteristic.
A more refined analysis is desirable. But for the time being, de Rosa’s assessment will do. It should serve as the beacon of a definitive assessment of Pergolesi that is still to come. The Marquese di Villarosa was the first (and the only?) to present a detailed and more technical assessment of Pergolesi’s transcendence. He fully deserves the credit for having been the first to articulate it so well.
How do these characteristics typify Pergolesi’s music as absolutely unique? It cannot be said that all of these characteristics are unique to Pergolesi, although some come quite close and a couple of them probably are. I will need to work more on an exact calibration of the singular characteristics of Pergolesi’s music. Still, de Rosa’s characterization comes close to what is desired to capture Pergolesi’s ¬_total_ uniqueness. And in its totality, it suffices in my opinion to make the case that Pergolesi was the greatest composer ever. de Rosa was positively overwhelmed in the 1830s and 1840s, and so am I. I am not sure who else is. de Rosa’s text is as follows.
[Psst! I decided last minute to add an English translation. Please see further below.]

(Main text continued in Part II)

@leodepuydt308

One may have to be Signed In to Google to read all about Pergolesi’s uniqueness. There are five (5) sections I-V to my Youtube posting. And since III comes in IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc, that is in effect seven (7) sections.

ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL UNIQUENESS OF PERGOLESI’S MUSIC:
AN ESSAY (PART IIIa)

by Leo Depuydt

To the Memory of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), André Ernest Modeste Grétry (1741–1813), and Jean le Rond D’Alembert (1717–1783), Unconditional Admirers and Lovers of the Eternal Pergolesi’s Music, Comrades-in-Arms

APPENDIX: SUPPORTING MATERIALS

APPENDIX, SECTION Ia: Historical Notes on the Appreciation of Pergolesi’s Music

It needs to be said—and it needs to be repeated—about the composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736): Pergolesi rappresenta quello che è veramente importante in Italia: Eccellenza in nome dell’eccellenza.
Style is everything, dixit G.-L. Leclerc (1707–1783), Comte de Buffon, who actually said, “The style is the man (Le style c’est l’homme même)”. In that regard, G. B. Pergolesi (1710–1736) is a true inspiration.
The celebrated traveler, author, and musician Ch. Burney (1726–1814), father of the novelist Fanny Burney, described G. B. Pergolesi’s music not only as singularly clear (chiaro), simple (semplice), and true (vero), but also as sweet (dolce) [1].
In this connection, the Belgian composer A. E. M. Grétry (1741–1813), who won great acclaim at theaters and the royal court in France, who wrote the music for Voltaire’s funeral, and whose body is buried at the famed Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris while his heart rests in a shrine below a statue of him towering in front of the Royal Opera of Wallonia in his native Liège in Belgium, famously stated the following about G. B. Pergolesi in his Memoirs [2]:
Pergolesi was born and the truth was known (Pergolèze naquit et la vérité fut connue).
G. Radiciotti fittingly put this statement on the title page of the first edition of his biography of G. B. Pergolesi [3]. A street is named after A. E. M. Grétry in the center of Brussels, Belgium. And a restaurant in this street even bears the name of his memoirs.
G. B. Pergolesi’s most ardent admirer, A. E. M. Grétry, seems to have suffered a fate even worse than the subject of his admiration. One just wonders how many patrons of the afore-mentioned restaurant “The Memoirs of Grétry” in the Grétry Street in Brussels know who A. E. M. Grétry was.
A remarkable property characterizes the personality and the work of G. B. Pergolesi. After a long interlude of oblivion, his star has been—relatively speaking—sharply on the rise in the last 30 to 40 years or so, accelerating rapidly especially in the 1980s and 1990s, most of the acceleration occurring after my undergraduate years and much of it even after my graduate work. This means that, when I was a student, there would have been little incentive to recognize G. B. Pergolesi as a prime paragon of Western civilization. And in fact, my own interest in his personality and his work has been the result of chance encounters in recent years. I happened to hear his incomparable Stabat mater a few years ago just by accident. Very nice. But I assumed that he was a “one-trick-donkey” who had died young. Little did I know until about two years ago.
There has been a flurry of activity roughly in recent decades, accelerating in the 1980s and the 1990s. This activity includes world premiers in modern times of many musical works including his seemingly forgotten operas, conferences devoted to him, a new series entitled “Pergolesi Studies/Studi Pergolesiani”, research centers founded in New York and Milan, and a guide to research [4], to which I refer for more detail. B. S. Brook, F. Degrada, H. Hucke, D.E. Monson, M. E. Paymer, C. Toscani, and others have been at the forefront of the revival of Pergolesi scholarship.
It may be noted in the margin that the music by A. E. M. Grétry has also made something of a comeback. And, in general, period interpretations of baroque works have been on the rise. For half of my life, the second Brandenburg concert was almost never played on natural baroque trumpets. Now, using a natural trumpet is de rigueur.
It will be useful to buttress what has been said before, first, by detailing G. B. Pergolesi’s style a little more and second by showing that the revival of his music is not a fluke in the sense that—while there have been his detractors, some ardent—many others have considered his music unsurpassed and some even unparalleled.
Four observations on style. First, “natural” is a property that I should have added to the characteristics of G. B. Pergolesi’s style already mentioned above and also elsewhere. According to A. E. M. Grétry [5],
the truth of declamation constituting [G. B. Pergolesi’s] songs is as indestructible as nature (la vérité de déclamation qui constitue ses chants, est indestructible comme la nature).
Second, G. B. Pergolesi is in my opinion on quite a few occasions just ever so subtly mischievous (birichino in Italian?) in a way that I only rarely discern in the music of other composers. It seems to mean that he does not take himself too seriously. And that is good to know.
Third, citing an eyewitness account gathered in the course of his travels in Italy, Ch. Burney describes G. B. Pergolesi as a “slow composer” [6]. His biographer G. Radiciotti interprets Ch. Burney as stating that the composer was “an accurate worker using a file ([un] lavoratore accurato e di lima)” [7]. This seems like a mistranslation improving on the original.
But the fourth characteristic has been the most inspiring, to me at least. It is the way in which G. B. Pergolesi’s lines of melody (supported by an accompaniment that never takes control but impeccably does all it possibly can to enhance the melodic line) run from the very beginning to the very end without a single note being out of place, and all this with—at almost every turn—plenty of originality and unexpected and interesting twists that surprise but never either disrupt the line or displease. Originality by itself could be classified as yet a fifth characteristic.
G. B. Pergolesi’s melodic lines stand as a metaphor of how one would like an intellectual argument to proceed. Again, style is everything. D. Monson has established that the composer “wrote the music for the vocal line before writing the bass and accompaniment” [8]. In the same way, the stepwise rigorous intellectual coherence of the main line of an intellectual argument is paramount.
(Continued in Part IIIb.)