motet notes - Monteverdi

"Angelus ad pastores ait" comes from Monteverdi’s book of sacred songs, Sacrae Cantiunculae.  This text is from the second chapter of Luke, verses 10 – 11. “The angel said to the shepherds, I bring you tidings of great joy. For the Savior of the world has been born to you today.” Composed from three part women’s voices, it is polyphonic throughout and organized into three sections, each with a distinct character and text painting.  Note the fanfare motive on “annuntio,” the joyful triple meter for “vobis gaudium magnum” and the ascending melodic lines of the final section depicting the birth. 

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