Javier Ramirez Moyano

MUS100 Introduction to Music Literature

Section 12

Concert Report No.1

Vivaldi’s Motet

For my first concert report in this course, I have chosen to write about Vivaldi’s Motet, a

particularly beautiful piece that I have become very fond of after repeated listening and careful

analyzation. The particular version of this motet that this report will go in depth about is the one

performed by the Academy of Ancient Music and Emma Kirkby on August 17th of 1998 at the

Royal Albert Hall in London, England.

This magnificent performance was carried out by the Academy of Ancient Music’s

orchestra and soprano Emma Kirkby, under the direction of conductor Christopher Hogwood.

Emma Kirkby, a well-known British soprano, studied classics at Oxford University and was

trained as a singer by Jessica Cash. She made her first professional appearance in 1983,

specializing in Renaissance and Baroque Era music performance. English conductor Christopher

Hogwood studied classical literature and music at Cambridge and spent a postgraduate year in

Prague on a British Council scholarship. He founded the Academy of Ancient Music in 1973, an

orchestra based in Cambridge, which initially focused on Baroque music, but later expanded to

the performance of Classical Era music.

 The piece performed is a sacred motet written by Vivaldi in 1735, therefore​, this is a

composition from the late Baroque Era. When Baroque music was born, critics of the time often

described it as "overly ornamented and exaggerated". While this opinion was shaped from a

conservative point of view, it is true that this style deeply clashed with the music from the

previous era, as it strongly focused on solo voice, the polarity of the melody and the bassline, and

expressive harmony. Vivaldi wrote this sacred motet to an anonymous Latin text titled ​"Nulla in

Mundo Pax Sincera", which is translated as "In this world there is no honest peace". The

message of this text, along with the circumstances under which Vivaldi wrote the music, might

be an indication that the composition of this motet could have been closely related to the Italian

composer’s declining career during the 1730s, when his music wasn't considered as fashionable

anymore.

The text mourns about the world we live in. It describes it as a deceiving place, which

can seem to be kind, but in reality, it is full of sin and temptation. It praises Jesus and the love for

him as the only hope for salvation against this evil. After listening to the whole piece while

simultaneously reading the text, it isn't hard to realize that the meaning and mood of the text is

accompanied by the dynamics of the music. This is very noticeable on the part where "The

serpent hisses among blossoms and beauty" is sung, which starts at 7:32 in the video. While the

soprano repeats this line a few times, the music expresses joy and blessedness. Around 8:43, the

mood of the music changes greatly, becoming much darker and worrying, as the text becomes

much more negative as well, i.e "As it uncoils itself, concealing its venom". We can clearly see

here how Vivaldi shaped the music of this motet around the text to play with its mood and to

evoke particular feelings in his audience.

 In this performance, the Academy of Ancient Music’s orchestra is mostly made up of

strings; violins, violas, violoncellos, and double basses. Along with these very common strings,

there is also a more unusual string instrument, the theorbo. Besides strings, the orchestra also

includes two keyboard instruments, one harpsichord, and what I believe is an organ. Lastly,

accompanying the music of the orchestra, we have Emma Kirkby’s virtuous soprano voice.

Vivaldi's motet consists of three main parts. These are an aria, a recitative, and another

aria, in this order. After these, there is one last movement, the Alleluia, which acts as a

conclusion to this vibrant motet, bringing it to its end. The whole piece follows a quadruple

meter, which does not change between movements. The first aria follows an ABA ternary

structure and throughout all of it, the different melodies created by the orchestra and the soprano

intertwine, creating a polyphonic texture. The aria starts moderately slow and soft, which

inspires a certain calmness and relaxing feel. However, in the second part (B), the dynamics of

the music change, becoming slightly louder and producing a much darker and mysterious

atmosphere. The mood changes again with the third part, which is a repetition of the first with

some slight modifications, bringing peacefulness to the music again. The recitative is much

shorter than the previous aria, and while the soprano surprises us with a very intense and ornate

singing in this movement, the instrumental music is very soft and it simply supports Kirkby’s

melody with some chords from the harpsichord and a small number of string instruments. This is

the only time in the whole performance that we hear homophony. The instrumental music is

brought back to life with the third movement, another aria, again polyphonic. This aria is also

structured in three parts, and it is the loudest movement of the three. The first part of this aria is

extremely lively; the euphoric and beautiful instrumental music is matched by a spectacular and
dynamic performance of the soprano. The second part of this aria is a reminiscence of part B of

the first aria, with a much worrying tone that the previous part. However, in this second aria, the

music stays loud throughout all of it, including the third and last part. In this last part, we can see

an explosive show of skill from the soprano at around 10:00. At last, the Alleluia successfully

maintains the cheerful mood of the last aria with a very playful performance from both the

orchestra and the soprano.

Vivaldi seems to purposefully use these changes and similarities between the different

movements as resources to keep the listeners intrigued and surprised through his music, which is

highly effective. Similarly, the changes in the dynamics throughout the different movements take

listeners on a delightful journey filled with unpredictability and surprise. While the first aria has

some variations of dynamics within itself, it is generally moderately soft (mezzo-piano),

introducing the motet with a calm and relaxed feel. The motet continues with the recitative,

which is a little softer than the previous movement (piano). The last aria strongly contrasts with

the previous movement, as it is quite loud and bright (forte), quickly changing the whole mood

of the motet. Lastly, the Alleluia contributes to a strong ending by maintaining the loudness and

liveness of the second aria.

While I did not observe anything that seemed out of the ordinary during the performance

of the concert itself, I am very surprised by my own development as a listener of this motet.

While I did not enjoy the music at all at first, by practicing active listening and analyzation of the

piece, I unconsciously have come to greatly appreciate the beauty and meaning of this

masterpiece. My favorite part of the whole motet is the transition from the recitative to the

second aria. The clash between the sorrow and uneasiness transmitted by the lyrics and music
(both instrumental and vocal) of the recitative against the euphory and liveliness of the beginning

of the last aria is remarkable, and it creates a huge element of surprise, which in my opinion

makes this a thrilling piece.

 Academy of Ancient Music  

Christopher Hogwood 
Conductor 

​ ulla In Mundo Pax Sincera”,

“N Antonio Vivaldi
RV 630 (1678-1741)
 

Andante
Adagio
Allegro

Dame Emma Kirkby 

Soprano 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Works Cited

Pratt, George. “Hogwood, Christopher: Grove Music.” ​Grove Music,​ 9 July 2019,
oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561
592630-e-0000013183

Anderson, Nicholas. “Kirkby, (Carolyn) Emma.” ​Grove Music,​ 29 July 2019,

oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561
592630-e-0000042109

Palisca, Claude V. “Baroque.” ​Grove Music,​ 8 July 2019, oxfordmusiconline.com/

grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000002097?
rskey=XyEAig&result=1.

Knapp, Raymond L., et al. “Antonio Vivaldi.” ​Encyclopædia Britannica​, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Inc., 13 Sept. 2019, britannica.com/biography/Antonio-Vivaldi

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Baroque Music.” ​Encyclopædia Britannica,​

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., britannica.com/art/Baroque-music

“Who We Are / What We Do.” ​Academy of Ancient Music​,

aam.co.uk/who-we-are-what-we-do/

“What Is Baroque Music?” ​What Is Baroque Music? - Music of the Baroque​,

baroque.org/baroque/whatis

“Nulla in Mundo Pax Sincera.” ​Wikipedia​, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Sept. 2019,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nulla_in_mundo_pax_sincera