Perti: Five-Voice Motets for the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

This edition makes available some of the best music produced by the Bolognese composer Giacomo Antonio Perti (1661--1756). These three motets, composed for the great Prince of Tuscany, Ferdinando de’ Medici, show a unique union of secular and sacred music styles, typical of the Bolognese tradition, majestically developed by Perti. The influence of opera is obvious and Perti is able to blend it with strict counterpoint. Even the instrumentation for these works is peculiar, with the use of the cornett in important parts. This instrument was not popular any more at the beginning of the eighteenth century and contributes to the unique style of these works.