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• Taeggio, Giovanni Domenico: Quemadmodum desiderat

Taeggio, Giovanni Domenico: Quemadmodum desiderat

for 8 voices or instruments in 2 choirs.

Like the same composer´s Cantate Domino and Tota pulchra es, already published in this series (EML 202 and 226 respectively), Quemadmodum desiderat comes from Rognoni Taeggio´s Canzoni a 4 & 8 voci of 1605. And like the two other pieces it deliberately opposes vocal and instrumental choirs: in all three pieces the second choir is texted, and has music that moves in a predominantly vocal style, while the first choir is untexted, and has music that mostly derives from the canzon da sonar; however, as the piece develops, the music of the two choirs begins to converge.
The text is from Psalm 41 (Anglican 42), verses 1-2; the English version printed below is taken from the Book of Common Prayer.
In this edition the original note values have been retained. Editorial accidentals appear printed small above the stave, applying to the one note only. The original accidentals are taken as applying to the whole bar, for the sake of simplicity.
The piece sounds very fine with a small vocal group in choir 2 and a quartet of stringed or wind instruments in choir 1. However, it can also work very well as a purely instrumental piece, provided the instruments are chosen to underline the contrast between the two choirs: for example, strings in choir 1, and cornetto and trombones in choir 2, or recorders in choir 1, and curtals in choir 2. Whatever the instrumentation, the music of each choir needs to be strongly characterised, with sustained phrases in choir 2, and light articulation in choir 1.