Stabat Mater dolorosa

The Stabat Mater dolorosa is a Christian hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which portrays her suffering as Jesus Christ's mother during His crucifixion. The hymn is commonly performed during the liturgy on the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. The poem is attributed to the Franciscan Friar Jacopone da Todi (i 1306), although recent research indicates the Stabat Mater dolorosa was sung at a Dominican convent in Bologna, Italy as early as the 13th century. This work uses two different musical themes: A first one that uses chromaticism to represent the suffering and despair described by the poem, and a second one which is simpler in nature, to create balance in between them. Each theme repeats alternatively, with a different treatment on each reprise.