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Davide penitente

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Davide penitente
Cantata by W. A. Mozart
Burgtheater in Vienna, where the cantata was premiered on a commission by the Tonkünstler-Societät
CatalogueK. 469
RelatedGreat Mass in C minor
TextSaverio Mattei [it]
LanguageItalian
Based onPsalms, First Book of Samuel
Composed13 March 1785 (1785-03-13): Vienna
VocalSATB chorus; soprano I and II, tenor soloists
Instrumentalorchestra

Davide penitente, K. 469 (also Davidde penitente), is a cantata by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, to texts by Saverio Mattei [it]. The cantata was commissioned by the Wiener Tonkünstler-Societät, and first performed on 13 March 1785 in the Vienna Burgtheater. Most of the music is derived from the unfinished Great Mass in C minor, K. 427 (1782–83), although two arias ("A te, fra tanti affanni" and "Fra l'oscure ombre funeste") and a cadenza for the last movement ("Chi in Dio sol spera") were newly composed for the work.[1]

It has a duration of approximately 45 minutes.

Authorship of text

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The theme of the work is based on the Psalms and the First Book of Samuel of the Old Testament. The text was previously attributed to Lorenzo Da Ponte, following a report by Vincent Novello.[2] However, it is now known that the text is taken from Italian translations of the Psalms by Saverio Mattei [it] (1742–95).[3]

Structure

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  1. Alzai le flebili voci al Signor (Andante moderato: Chorus)
  2. Cantiamo le glorie e le lodi (Allegro vivace: Chorus)
  3. Aria: Lungi le cure ingrate (Allegro aperto: Soprano II)
  4. Sii pur sempre benigno (Adagio: Chorus)
  5. Duet: Sorgi, o Signore, e spargi i tuoi nemici (Allegro moderato: Sopranos I and II)
  6. Aria: A te, fra tanti affanni – Udisti i voti miei (Andante – Allegro: Tenor)
  7. Se vuoi, puniscimi (Largo: Double choir)
  8. Aria: Fra l'oscure ombre funeste – Alme belle (Andante – Allegro: Soprano)
  9. Terzetto: Tutte le mie speranze (Allegro: Sopranos I and II, Tenor)
  10. Chi in Dio sol spera (Adagio: Chorus) – Di tal pericoli non ho timor (Chorus)

Recordings

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References

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  1. ^ Michael Quinn, "Cantata", The Cambridge Mozart Encyclopedia, ed. Cliff Eisen and Simon P. Keefe (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 59–60.
  2. ^ Geistliche Gesangwerke in Neue Mozart-Ausgabe (1987), vol. I/IV/iii, p. XIV
  3. ^ Saverio Mattei, I libri poetici della Bibbia, 5 volumes, Naples: Simoniana, 1766–1774.
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