Salve Regina RV 616, RV 617, RV 618

The present volume contains all three settings by Vivaldi of the Marian antiphon Salve Regina that have come down to us. All three are for solo voice: soprano in the case of RV 617, and contralto in that of RV 616 and RV 618.

The last two settings are scored for two instrumental cori and introduce woodwind instruments, respectively a flute and a pair of oboes, whereas the instrumentation of the first is confined to strings disposed in a single coro, although a solo violin is employed in three movements.

RV 617, preserved in a non-autograph source in Brno, belongs to Vivaldi’s first period of sacred music composition at the Pietà (1713-1717), while RV 616 and RV 618 are works of his maturity dating from the years around 1730. RV 617 is laid out in four movements, RV 616 and 618 in six movements.

All three works are noteworthy for the tenderness of their expression and skilful writing for both the voice and the instruments. The Introduction and Critical Commentary for these vocal scores, prepared by Antonio Frigé, are closely based on those of the Critical Editions by Michael Talbot, published in 1998, 1990 and 1994.