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This program presents a collection of polyphony for Holy Saturday, drawn from the Tenebrae tradition of Holy Week and composed by Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa. These sacred responsories belong to one of the most intense moments of the Christian liturgical year: the solemn silence that follows the Crucifixion and precedes the Resurrection.

The texts set in these works — Sicut ovis ad occisionem ductus est, O vos omnes, Ecce quomodo moritur justus, Sepulto Domino, and others — are taken from the Tenebrae responsories of the Triduum. They meditate on Christ’s suffering, abandonment, death, and burial, giving musical form to the profound stillness of Holy Saturday.

Gesualdo’s sacred polyphony is unlike that of any other composer of his time. While rooted in the Renaissance motet tradition, his writing is marked by daring chromatic harmonies, sudden contrasts, and intense expressive dissonances. These harmonic tensions mirror the spiritual drama of the Passion texts, transforming liturgical prayer into deeply emotional sacred music.

Far from being theatrical, this music belongs to the contemplative darkness of Tenebrae — a ritual in which candles are gradually extinguished, symbolizing the fading light of the world at Christ’s death. The choral writing alternates between austere homophony and intricate contrapuntal textures, embodying both communal lament and personal meditation.

These Holy Week responsories are not merely historical compositions; they remain among the most powerful examples of sacred choral polyphony in the Western tradition. Through Gesualdo’s unique musical language, the mystery of Holy Saturday is rendered in sound: silence, sorrow, expectation, and hope suspended in darkness.

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➤ Music by:
Carlo Gesualdo, I Cantori di Milano and Mino Bordignon
From the album 'Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa - Responsori del Sabato Santo'
℗ 1970 Pro Civitate Christiana
Listen on all digital platforms: https://lnk.fuga.com/carlogesualdoicantoridimilanoandminobordignon_carlogesualdodavenosaresponsoridelsabatosanto

00:00 Sicut ovis ad occisionem ductus est
04:46 Jerusalem, surge
09:27 Plange quasi virgo, plebs mea
15:22 Recessit pastor noster, fons acquae vivae
19:47 O vos omnes, qui transitis per viam
23:46 Ecce quomodo moritur justus
28:20 Astiterunt reges terrae
31:06 Aestimatus sum cum descendentibus
35:31 Sepulto Domino, signatum est monumentum

➤ Image:
Caravaggio - La Deposizione di Cristo, 1602–1603

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