"Audi filia", Graduale per la Messa di S. Cecilia

Alessandro Scarlatti’s Audi filia is a richly textured work for SSATB voices, opening with a plaintive, almost operatic aria before blossoming into a majestic, imitative polyphony. The Latin text, taken from Psalm 45, is a royal wedding song, a hymn of praise to the bride. Scarlatti’s setting moves between moments of intimate supplication and grand pronouncements, the SSATB choir responding to the solo voice with fervent exclamations. The score, originally part of a larger work for the Mass of St Cecilia, unfolds with dramatic flair, showcasing the composer’s mastery of Baroque vocal writing. This setting is ideal for a choir seeking to explore the expressive power of Renaissance-inspired counterpoint within a vibrant Catholic tradition.