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Artemisia Editions » Catalogue » Lombardy » Cozzolani: Laudate pueri à 6 (NLO-11)

Chiara Margarita Cozzolani (1602 – c.1677) was active in one of the most celebrated ensembles of women musicians in early modern Italy: that of the Benedictine nuns of the convent of Santa Radegonda, located across the street from Milan Cathedral. Born in Milan to a well-off family, Cozzolani professed her vows at the monastery in 1620, and later served several times as prioress and abbess. Cozzolani published four editions of sacred works between 1640 and 1650, though unfortunately not all of them are extant. The music presented here is taken from her largest collection: Salmi a otto voci concertati […] motetti, et dialoghi a Due, Tre, Quattro, e Cinque voci, (Venice, 1650).

Cozzolani’s collection contains a complete set of Vespers psalms for the major feasts of the year according to Benedictine use, which differs from non-monastic rite primarily in the reduced number of psalms: four instead of the more familiar five. Sundays and male sanctoral feasts used one set of four psalms at Vespers, while Marian and female sanctoral days employed another.

This series of editions presents all the psalms that would have been sung as part of the liturgy for various feasts. The set pieces for a Christmas Vespers, for example, which would be considered male sanctoral, are:

Versus/Responsus: Deus in adjutorium/Domine ad adiuvandum
Psalm: Dixit Dominus (Ps. 109)
Psalm: Confitebor tibi Domine (Ps. 110)
Psalm: Beatus vir (Ps. 111)
Psalm: Laudate pueri (Ps. 112)
Magnificat

A Marian Vespers, on the other hand, like the celebrated 1610 Vespers of Monteverdi, would present these pieces:

Versus/Responsus: Deus in adjutorium/Domine ad adiuvandum
Psalm: Dixit Dominus (Ps. 109)
Psalm: Laudate pueri (Ps. 112)
Psalm: Lætatus sum (Ps. 121)
Psalm: Nisi Dominus (Ps. 126)
Magnificat

Cozzolani’s collection is an impressive one. In addition to the six Vespers psalms (Laudate pueri appears in two different scorings), the respond, and the two Magnificats (all written for eight voices (SATB/SATB) except the second Laudate pueri), there are also nine non-liturgical motets for 1-5 voices. Two pieces call for two violins (despite certain ecclesiastical edicts forbidding their use within the convents).

In our versions for convent use (female voices only) the bass parts of the 8-voice psalms have been transposed up the octave (according to common convent usage) in order to be sung by an alto. In some cases, this bass transposition alone puts the piece within the range of female voices, with the tenor parts lying low but not impossibly low: Beatus vir is an example. More often, both the bass and tenor parts have been transposed up an octave, and are thus sung by altos and sopranos, respectively. Dixit Dominus, Confitebor, Laudate pueri and Nisi Dominus are all notated in this manner. Occasionally the original soprano part is low enough to permit an upward transposition of the entire piece (in addition to the octave bass transposition). The first and last polyphonic pieces in Cozzolani’s Vespers setting, Domine ad adiuvandum and the Magnificat, have both been transposed up a minor third.

In general, the voices are all quite florid and thus technically demanding, but choral ripieno voices could be added to the solos in tutti sections. In addition, basso continuo instruments will be needed. In the case of the convent version, these would include melodic bass instruments (viola da gamba, violoncello, trombone, dulcian, etc.) to double the bass line of each choir at the lower octave.