Details page

Title
Stabat mater - Pro peccatis
Original Title
Composer
Rossini, Gioacchino
Year
1833
Editor
Arranger
Martinet, Leigh
Year Arranged
1990
Original Instrumentation
Bass (voice) and orchestra
Publisher
Baltimore Horn Club
Year Published
1990
Catalogue Number
BHC.33
Sheet Music Format
A4, Score (4) & parts 6x1=6)
Horns
6
Additional Equipment
Others
Other Instruments
Duration
5
Structure / Movements
One movement. Allegretto maestoso
Clefs
Treble, bass
Meters
3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/8, 3/2
Key signatures
3b, None
Range
Horn 1: b - a2 Horn 2: b - d2 Horn 3: b - d2 Horn 4: G - e1 Horn 5: e - g2 Horn 6: G - g1
Creator's Comments
Performance Notes
Rossini’s setting of the Stabat mater contains ten movements, six of which were written for a performance in Spain in 1833, and the remaining four added in 1842 for its final form that premiered in Paris. It has become a favourite in the choral repertoire, with four soloists, chorus, and an orchestra. Pro peccatis suae gentis, the 4th movement, is an aria for solo bass, with a bold, striding motive and a more reflective one. When talking about a bass solo, the lowest horn in the ensemble comes to mind, and indeed it is horn 6 that gets featured in Martinet’s arrangement. After the unisono (in octaves) introduction, horn 6 takes over, right up to the key change into major where the melody moves into horn 1. For the remainder of the arrangement, horns 1 and 6 keep playing the melody either in octaves or by themselves, and the other four horns fill out the space in between. In regards to keys used, the original A minor was transposed into C minor, probably to keep the range low (but not too low), in order to obtain the best tessitura for the solo horn (horn 6). Playing everything a third lower would certainly be possible, but as it is the ideal range was chosen, which makes this, for a change, a highlight for one the low players, rather than the usual high ones.
Credits
Access to review score: Nancy Joy (NMSU)
Sound
Score