The Italian composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (real name Giovanni Battista Draghi, 1710–36) composed this, his most famous work, in 1736. Scored for soprano and alto soloists, strings and basso continuo, the melodious 12-movement Stabat Mater *was written only a few months before the composer’s untimely death from tuberculosis at the age of 26. His *Stabat Mater is now regarded as one of the most important works of sacred music of all time. Jean-Jacques Rousseau described the opening movement as ‘the most perfect and touching duet to have come from the pen of any composer’.
Issue 66, December 2023
Turkey’s Centenary Issue
