Edinburgh University Renaissance Singers

On 14 January, 1676, Venice lost one of its most celebrated contemporary composers when Francesco Cavalli died at the age of 73. But Cavalli himself ensured that his music would not die with him, leaving a magnificent Requiem Mass for double choir to be performed each year on the anniversary of his death. And so it was, at least until the funds he had left to pay for this annual commemoration ran out.

In this, the 350th anniversary year of Cavalli’s death, the Edinburgh University Renaissance Singers are reviving the memory of Cavalli. His Requiem Mass, or Missa pro Defunctis, now unjustly neglected, forms the centrepiece of our programme of 17th Century Venetian music for double choir in which we explore themes of mourning death, commemorating the faithful departed, and hope for resurrection to eternal life. Alongside Cavalli’s Requiem, we will perform the sublime Ave Maris Stella by Claudio Monteverdi, from his 1610 Vespers for the Blessed Virgin, and motets by Giovanni Croce and Giovanni Gabrieli.

Tickets available at the door
(students £6, non-students £12)
cards accepted, cash preferred

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