In mid-17th-century Rome, Orazio Benevoli was maestro of the Cappella Giulia. He was a contemporary of Carissimi and the master of the four-choir mass but – unlike Venetian split-choir music – the four choirs of Benevoli's masses are each for the same SATB layout, making it some of the most manageable large-scale early music of its time for modern choirs to tackle.
The first of several Benevoli masses to be produced through I Fagiolini Editions, Missa Tu es Petrus, is based on Palestrina's six-part motet but is quite unlike a traditional Renaissance parody technique, instead being something much more inventive. The final Amen of the Credo, for example, is a complete compositional tour-de-force.
I Fagiolini's new recording of the mass and an introductory short film can be seen
HERE.
The full score is currently being printed by Ingram Spark. Singers may want to use that, or they may prefer to use one of the shorter four choir books, which each include four voice parts and the organ bass line, printed in a larger font. These will cost £7.50 each, but discount is available on large orders. If you intend to use instruments, separate parts can also be produced; as wind and string players prefer different clefs, please discuss these options with your performers before ordering.
