Vivaldis first edition of Juditha triumphnas

''Juditha triumphans devicta Holofernis barbarie'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: 'Judith triumphant over the

barbarian A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either Civilization, uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by som ...

s of Holofernes'), RV 644, is an

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

, the only survivor of the four that he is known to have composed. Although the rest of the oratorio survives completely intact, the overture has been lost. The

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

was written by Iacopo Cassetti based upon the

Book of Judith The Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book, included in the Septuagint and the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christian Old Testament of the Bible, but excluded from the Hebrew canon and assigned by Protestants to the apocrypha. It tells ...

. The exact date of composition and performance of ''Juditha triumphans'' are not known, but the allegorical treatment of the

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

defense of

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

dominated public discussion in Venice throughout 1716. This work was an allegorical description of the victory of the Venetians (the Christians) over the Turks in August 1716. The work was commissioned to celebrate the victory of the Republic of Venice over the Turks during the siege of Corfu: in July 1716, the Turks had landed on Corfu and set siege to the island. The population resisted the occupation and, in August, Venice signed an alliance with the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

. On 18 August, under the leadership of Count Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg, the decisive battle was won and the Turks abandoned the island. Although widely reported to have been performed at the

Ospedale della Pietà The Ospedale della Pietà was a convent, orphanage, and music school in Venice. Like other Venetian ''ospedali'', the Pietà was first established as a hospice for the needy. A group of Venetian nuns, called the Consorelle di Santa Maria dell’Um ...

in November 1716, the victorious General Schulenburg could not have been in the audience of any performance prior to January 3, 1717.

Score

All characters, male and female, were interpreted by women of the Ospedale della Pietà. They are: * ''Juditha'',

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

, a young Bethulian widow * ''Holofernes'',

, Assyrian general * ''Vagaus'',

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

, eunuch, Holofernes's squire * ''Abra'',

, Juditha's handmaid * ''Ozias'',

, high priest of Bethulia An all-female choir sings the parts of the

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the A ...

n soldiers and of the

Bethulia Bethulia (, ''Baituloua''; Hebrew: בתוליה) is a biblical "city whose deliverance by Judith, when besieged by Holofernes, forms the subject of the Book of Judith." Etymology The name "Bethulia" in Hebrew can be associated, in an allegoric ...

n women. In the tradition of the Ospedale della Pietà, where some of the singers were trained to sing below the normal contralto range, the chorus is scored for SATB. The

string orchestra A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first ...

is augmented by

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionall ...

, 2

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

mandolino A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of ...

, 4

theorbo The theorbo is a plucked string instrument of the lute family, with an extended neck and a second pegbox. Like a lute, a theorbo has a curved-back sound box (a hollow box) with a wooden top, typically with a sound hole, and a neck extending ou ...

s, 5 "viole all'inglese" (

viols The viol (), viola da gamba (), or informally gamba, is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitch ...

), 1

viola d'amore The viola d'amore (; Italian for "viol of love") is a 7- or 6- stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin. Structure and sound The viol ...

, 2 recorders, 2 chalumeaux (soprano), "Clareni" (

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

), 2

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

Plot

The Assyrian king

Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar II (Babylonian cuneiform: ''Nabû-kudurri-uṣur'', meaning "Nabu, watch over my heir"; Biblical Hebrew: ''Nəḇūḵaḏneʾṣṣar''), also spelled Nebuchadrezzar II, was the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling ...

sends an army against

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

to demand overdue tributes. Under the leadership of the general Holofernes, the Assyrians lay siege to the town of Bethulia and are about to conquer it. The young Jewish widow Judith goes to him to implore mercy. He falls in love with her and she indulges him. After a rich banquet and having drunk much wine, Holofernes falls asleep. Judith beheads him, flees the enemy camp, and returns victorious to Bethulia.

Recordings

* 1941:

Elena Nicolai Stoyanka Savova Nikolova ( bg, Стоянка Савова Николова), best known by her stage name Elena Nicolai ( bg, Елена Николай) (24 January 1905 – 24 October 1993), was a Bulgarian operatic mezzo-soprano. Early li ...

(J), Antenore Reali (H), Gino del Signore (V), Rina Corsi (A), Antonio Cassinelli (O); Orchestra dell'Accademia Musicale Chigiana / Unione Corale Senese e Piccolo Coro dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia di Roma - Vittorio Baglioni (maestro del coro); Antonio Guarnieri (conductor) — Fonitcetra. * 1951: Maria Amadini (J), Marcello Cortis (H), Emilio Cristinelli (V), Rosanna Giancola (A), Giuliano Ferrein (O); Chorus of the Teatro La Fenice, Venice / Symphony Orchestra of the Scuola Veneziana -

Angelo Ephrikian Angelo Ephrikian ( hy, Անջելո Էֆրիկյան; 20 October 1913 – 30 October 1982) was an Italian musicologist and violinist of Armenian descent. His daughter, Laura Ephrikian, is an actress. Angelo Ephrikian was born in Treviso, Italy. ...

— The Opera Society. * 1964: Zsuzsa Barlay (J), Zsolt Bende (H), Jószef Réti (V), Margit László (A), Jószef Dene (O); Budapest Madrigal Choir (György Czigány) / Hungarian State Orchestra - Ferenc Szekeres — Hungaroton. * 1968: Oralia Dominguez (J), Irene Compañez (H), Bianca Maria Casoni (V), Emilia Cundari (A), Maria Grazia Allegri (O); Chorus of the Accademia Filarmonica Romana (Luigi Colacicchi) / Angelicum Chamber Orchestra - Alberto Zedda — Angelicum. * 1974:

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(J),

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(H), Elly Ameling (V), Ingeborg Springer (A),

Annelies Burmeister Annelies Burmeister (25 November 1928 in Ludwigslust – 16 June 1988 in Berlin) was a German contralto and actress. Burmeister studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Weimar. She was a member of the Deutsche Oper in Berlin and made severa ...

(O); Rundfunks-Solistenvereinigung Berlin (

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) / Berlin Chamber Orchestra -

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— Philips Classics. * 1976: Verena Piller (J),

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(H), Pierre-André Blaser (V), Kathrin Graf (A); Ensemble Alauda de Genève (Jean-Louis Rebut) / Collegium Academicum de Genève - Robert Dunand — Concert Hall. * 1990:

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(J), Judit Németh (H), Annette Markert (V), Maria Zádori (A), Katalin Gémes (O); Savaria Vocal Ensemble (István Deáky) /

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— Hungaroton. * 1997:

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(J),

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(H),

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(V),

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(A),

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(O); The Choir of the King's Consort / The King's Consort - Robert King — Hyperion. * 2000: Magdalena Kožená (J), Maria José Trullu (H), Marina Comparato (V), Anke Herrmann (A), Tiziana Carraro (O); Coro da Camera dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Martino Faggiani) / Montis Regalis Academy - Alessandro de Marchi — Opus 111 / Naive. * 2000: Barbara di Castri (J), Lucia Sciannimanico (H), Nicki Kennedy (V), Alessandra Rossi (A), Rowena Anketell (O); Coro da Camera Italiano, Roma /

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— Amadeus. * 2001:

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(J),

(H), Cecilia Gasdia (V), Manuela Custer (A), Laura Brioli (O); Coro Filarmonico Antonio Vivaldi (Giampaolo Grazioli)/

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— Warner Fonit. * 2007:

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(J), Guillemette Laurens (H),

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(V), Manuela Custer (A), Tiziana Pizzi (O); Coro della Radio Svizzera / I Barocchisti -

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— RTSI Multimedia. * 2007: Sally-Anne Russell (J), David Walker (H), Fiona Campbell (V), Sara Macliver (A), Renée Martin (O); Cantillation / Orchestra of the Antipodes - Attilio Cremonesi — ABC Classics. * 2019:

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(J), Marina de Liso (H), Rachel Redmond (V), Lucía Martín-Cartón (A), Kristin Mulders (O);

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— Alia Vox.

References

* Gianfranco Formichetti, ''Venezia e il prete col violino. Vita di Antonio Vivaldi'', Bompiani (2006), . * Michael Talbot, ''Antonio Vivaldi'', Insel Verlag (1998),
Libretto
in Latin with parallel translation into English.
Juditha triumphans
ed. Frances Bennion, Edmund Correia, Jr., and Eleanor Selfridge-Field. Center for Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities, 2013
scoreparts
.

of the performance by the Academy of Santa Cecilia. *

Walter Kolneder Walter Kolneder (1 July 1910 – 30 January 1994) was an Austrian musicologist and violist. Life and career Koldener was born in Wels, Upper Austria. From 1925 to 1935 he studied music with Bernhard Paumgartner (conducting), Theodor Müller ( ...

, ''Guía de Vivaldi'', Alianza Editorial (1989), {{Authority control Oratorios Ottoman–Venetian Wars Compositions by Antonio Vivaldi Cultural depictions of Judith 1710s in the Republic of Venice