Summer Festival of Sacred Music at St. Bart's Continues 8/2

The 21st annual Summer Festival of Sacred Music at St. Bartholomew's Church continues on Sunday, August 2, at 11 am with Giacomo Carissimi's Missa Concertata in C Major for Men's Voices.

Giacomo Carissimi (1605-1674), one of the most celebrated masters of the early Italian Baroque period, flourished in Rome, where he was the chapel master of the Church of Saint Apollinare, part of the Collegium Germanicum. His greatest achievements include the refinement of the recitative, introduced by Monteverdi, and the development of the oratorio, of which he was the first significant composer.

Carissimi was active at a time when secular music began to usurp the dominance of sacred polyphonic music. Hence, his Missa Concertata is clearly influenced by operatic elements including recitative, instrumental ritornellos (introductions and interludes) and highly virtuosic solo writing. The work is scored for three-part men's choir, two violins, and continuo. The Men of St. Bartholomew's Choir and period instrumentalists will be conducted by William K. Trafka. The Summer Festival of Sacred Music, St. Bartholomew's Church at the corner of Park Avenue and 51st Street. Subway: 6 to 51st Street.

For more information, call (212) 378-0222 or visit http://www.stbarts.org/music/summer-festival-of-sacred-music/ for the complete schedule.