Monteverdi: Sonata sopra Sancta Maria

Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (1567, Cremona – November 29, 1643, Venice) was an Italian composer, choirmaster, and string player. A master of both secular and sacred music and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is regarded as a pivotal transitional figure between the Renaissance and Baroque periods of music history. The “Sonata sopra Sancta Maria” is the most celebrated movement from his Vespro della Beata Vergine (1610). Presented here in a superb arrangement for brass ensemble with an optional unison choir, it captures Monteverdi’s brilliance in merging expressive vocal writing with majestic instrumental textures.