Salve Regina – Antiphon for voice, violin, strings and continuo in F major RV 617

When
we think of sacred music, we instinctively think of choral music as a way of
expressing the communal aspect of religious life and belief. There is however a
complementary tradition within sacred music that uses the medium of song to
evoke the prayer of the solitary individual. The golden age for the solo voice
in the sacred repertoire was circa 1650-1750. Vivaldi composed approximately
fifty sacred works and fully thirty are for solo voice.

The
story of Vivaldi’s involvement in the Ospedale
della Pietà is well known. The Pietà was
an orphanage for girls that gave what amounted to a conservatory musical
education to a selection of the girls known as the figlie di coro. Under Vivaldi’s direction their standard became
incredibly high and the stars of the Pietà
were renowned throughout Europe for their virtuosity. Vivaldi wrote many
works for them, both concertos and sacred works, and this Salve Regina with its unusual solo violin part was certainly one of
them.

Its
originality is immediately apparent as the first movement features just the
solo violin, soprano and continuo without the other violins and viola of the
ensemble, the two solo parts interweaving magically. The solo violin returns in
the third movement, this time supported by the full ensemble. Clearly the figlie di coro had two exceptional
soloists for whom Vivaldi wrote this exquisitely beautiful music.