Lasso: Virginalia Eucharistica (1615)

This edition of the Virginalia Eucharistica (Munich, 1615) by Rudolph di Lasso (ca. 1563–ca. 1626), one of the sons of the famous Munich kapellmeister Orlando di Lasso, offers a window into the evolution of sacred composition in early baroque Germany. Consisting of forty-three settings of mostly Marian texts for one to eight voices and basso continuo, the Virginalia Eucharistica demonstrates Rudolph’s engagement with the emerging Italian concertato idiom, blended liberally with traditional polyphonic textures and polychoral practices derived from Venetian models. The result is a diverse array of works ranging from virtuosic sacred monodies to antiphonal double-choir compositions, enlivened by inventive and unusual vocal textures. Beyond its musical significance, the Virginalia Eucharistica also vividly reflects the Marian cult of the Bavarian court, a German bastion of the Catholic Counter-Reformation in the early seventeenth century.