We believe that Monteverdi – a man whose name is synonymous with San Marco in Venice – put this work together whilst working for the Dukes of Mantua. It combines choral settings with solo work including four ‘concertato’ motets for skilled singers, and concludes with a ‘vocal sonata’, a hymn setting, and a choice of two Magnificat settings.
The work is notable for combining two styles of music prevalent at the time (and labelled under ‘the Monteverdi / Artusi Controversy’) about new and old styles in music. Monteverdi successfully demonstrates the ‘prima pratica’ (the old style based on cantus firmus and other styles) and the ‘seconda pratica’ (the new style emerging especially in opera).
The work was attributed to his time at San Marco, given the various galleries and spaces around the basilica that seem to fit this work perfectly (as seen in the 1997 recording by the Monteverdi Choir). However, the ducal chapel of St Barbara in Mantua also has spaces and galleries from which the work could have been performed in a similar way, although we have no record of a performance at all, merely that Monteverdi travelled to Rome to hand over a copy of the work to the Pope.
The structure of the work, including translations, can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespro_della_Beata_Vergine#Music
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