The keyboard and instrumental music of Italian early Baroque master Girolamo Frescobaldi is so prevalent among his oeuvre that not much heed is paid to his sacred music. Nevertheless, Frescobaldi has two complete settings of the mass: the Missa sopra l'aria della Monica and the Missa sopra l'aria di Fiorenza; both come from the same manuscript and are notated by the same hand, though only the first of these masses is ascribed in its source to Frescobaldi. It is assumed the second one is also his, given its position ...
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The keyboard and instrumental music of Italian early Baroque master Girolamo Frescobaldi is so prevalent among his oeuvre that not much heed is paid to his sacred music. Nevertheless, Frescobaldi has two complete settings of the mass: the Missa sopra l'aria della Monica and the Missa sopra l'aria di Fiorenza; both come from the same manuscript and are notated by the same hand, though only the first of these masses is ascribed in its source to Frescobaldi. It is assumed the second one is also his, given its position following the Missa sopra l'aria della Monica and also owing to certain stylistic similarities to its predecessor: both utilize vocal soloists, a double chorus, and organ continuo. On recordings, Missa sopra l'aria della Monica has achieved a small amount of attention as filler for other things, such as the Allegri Miserere; the Missa sopra l'aria di Fiorenza is far more obscure, being recorded, at one time, by itself on a single -- very short -- disc. Brilliant Classics seems to be the...
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