Vespers of the Blessed Virgin

Album by Claudio Monteverdi & Scholars Baroque Ensemble

Vespers of the Blessed Virgin (Vespro della Beata Vergine) is a setting of the Roman Catholic Vespers by Claudio Monteverdi, published in 1610. The work blends late Renaissance polyphonic textures with emerging Baroque concertato techniques, employing solo voices, choir and instruments with dramatic contrasts, varied textures and continuo accompaniment, and it occupies a pivotal place in Monteverdi's output as an exemplar of the transition from Renaissance to Baroque sacred music.