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About the Score

Sulpitia Lodovica Cesis (1577 – after 1619) was a nun at the Augustinian convent of San Geminiano in Modena, Italy. Like many young women from wealthy families in the 17th century, she professed her vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience at age 16 then lived her entire life behind the walls and iron grates of her convent. Cesis was mentioned in a traveler’s account from 1596: “The nuns there are versed in all sorts of musical instruments...[including] Sister Sulpitia, daughter of the most illustrious Signor Count Cesis, who played the lute excellently... they performed a motet of hers which was highly praised.” She published one volume of music in 1619 entitled Motteti spirituali. This volume contains twenty-three motets for 2-12 voices including parts for tenors and/or basses.

The “Stabat Mater” is a 13th-century Latin hymn about Mary’s pain at the foot of her Son’s cross, sung during the fifth week of Lent. The performance would have taken place in a divided chapel with the nuns singing and playing behind a wall or iron grate to obscure their faces from the public.

Originally scored for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voices in part books, this edition provides all four parts combined in modernized notation. All tempos, dynamics, and breath marks are editorial. The organ and cello parts are optional, but can be played colla parte, per early-modern performance practice.

An SSA performance of this piece was recorded by mirabai and can be heard here.

Featured on the mirabai ICON Series.

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