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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. She 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 Vespers Psalms: 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. This collection is an impressive one. In addition to the six Vespers psalms (Laudate pueri appears in two different scorings), the respond and two Magnificats (all written for eight voices except this Laudate pueri), there are also nine non-liturgical motets for 1-5 voices. This psalm is suitable for a male sanctoral feast (such as Christmas), together with other pieces, as shown here:

• Versus/Responsus: Deus in adjutorium/Domine ad adiuvandum
• Psalm: Dixit Dominus
• Psalm: Confitebor tibi Domine
• Psalm: Beatus vir
• Psalm: Laudate pueri
• Magnificat

The edition for mixed voices and women’s voices of this psalm are quite similar. In the latter, the tenor parts have simple been transposed up an octave (and are printed in treble clef rather than octave-treble). With few exceptions, however, the tenor parts rarely descend below an e, so that 2 female altos could sing these parts at the original pitch without requiring a great deal of alterations and upward transpositions.