Pergolesi - Mass In D Major Vocal Score Book

Pergolesi wrote his Mass in D major for an unknown occasion. The composition however is similar in quality and commitment to his other Mass in F major. Numerous manuscript copies all over Europe testify to the fortunate reception of the work in the eighteenth century. As was traditional in Naples, Pergolesi limited his composition to the Kyrie‚¬ï¿½ and Gloria‚¬ï¿½. The festive character of the work is emphasized by the rich scoring for vocal soloists, five-part choir and a full orchestra of strings and winds. This edition, made with strict philological criteria, is based as its main source on a set of parts preserved partly in Naples, partly in Montecassino. These parts were made for a performance conducted by the composer, who added various autograph annotations. Among the secondary sources are two period Neapolitan scores, today in Bologna and Dresden. The book includes a historical introduction (which traces the history of the genre in Naples and the relationship between the two Masses by Pergolesi) and the critical notes.