Alessandro Grandi: Venetian Christmas Vespers, Magnificat; Voices of Music

The Christmas Vespers Magnificat, published in Venice in 1630 by Alessandro Grandi. High Definition video from the Venetian Christmas Vespers Concert, December, 2013, performed on original instruments by the Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. Featuring (Left to Right) Laura Heimes and Jennifer Ellis Kampani, sopranos; John Taylor Ward, baritone; Elizabeth Blumenstock, baroque violin; Carla Moore, baroque violin; Lisa Grodin, baroque viola; William Skeen, viola da gamba; David Tayler, archlute and Hanneke van Proosdij, baroque organ. Scored for three voices and continuo, Grandi’s Vespers of 1630 present a unique way of declaiming text: each section is framed with an individual rhythmic and harmonic profile, and the three singers combine for solos, duos and trios, using rhythmic shapes that allow the text to be clearly heard at all times; at the same time, the rhythm is set in a way that allows each singer to flex the words and phrases according to the internal accent, meter and syllable length of the