O Quam Gloriosum: Music of the Late Spanish Renaissance

Convivium Musicum opens our 2023/24 season with “O Quam Gloriosum,” an exploration of some of the greatest motets of Renaissance Spain, featuring works by Cristóbal de Morales, Francisco Guerrero, and Tomás Luis de Victoria. Guerrero’s exquisite Ave Virgo Sanctissima was famous in its own time for being “the perfect Marian motet,” thanks in part to the fluid, effortless manner in which the two soprano parts move in strict canon throughout the entire work. Victoria’s tender and atmospheric O Magnum Mysterium may be his most famous piece today; but we will also be sharing Morales’ lesser-known but equally evocative setting of the same text. Morales’ Clamabat autem mulier and Guerrero’s Maria Magdalena et altera Maria are two pieces that explore moments in the story of Jesus with warmth and drama. We will also be sharing one of Victoria’s many inspired Magnificat settings; and of course no Spanish program would be complete without a few villançicos! Please join us for this glorious repertoire.