Legrenzi: Compiete, Op. 7
Giovanni Legrenzi’s eventual rise to fame can be measured by the fact that both Bach and Handel chose his melodies as themes for their contrapuntal elaborations. Many years earlier, however, as a young composer in Ferrara, Legrenzi wrote Compiete (‘Compline’ in English) which constitutes the final moment of prayer in the monastic or secular day. It is a work of dazzling beauty that shows a mature, conscious mastery of the most up-to-date compositional techniques of Legrenzi’s time in the ‘nuova musica’, and fully honors Monteverdi’s precedent in ensuring music serves the text in all its richness and variety.
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