Psalm 147 “Lauda Jerusalem” features prominently in the liturgical year, including in vespers on Marian feasts. Antonio Vivaldi’s only setting of this vesper psalm is rather unusual in being written for double choir, each accompanied by an instrumental choir of strings and basso continuo. Unlike many of his other psalm settings, this work is not divided into several movements. Solo and tutti sections are juxtaposed, with the composer employing a kind of ritornello structure to maintain the musical unity.
Vivaldi’s students at Venice’s “Ospedale della Pietà” performed the work in the 1730s. The autograph score shows that the solo passages were performed by two singers, probably for pedagogical reasons. Even today, these solo parts can be assigned to one or more good choral sopranos.
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