STABAT MATER is a setting of the medieval poem of the same name for alto, soprano, strings and basso continuo. This is the most famous spiritual work of the Italian composer and was written in 1736, a few weeks before his death. Pergolesi composed his stabat mater on behalf of a Neapolitan noble lay fraternity, the Cavalieri della Vergine dei Dolori di San Luigi al Palazzo, for use in the liturgy of Holy Week.
The immediately poignant mood of the work, the renunciation of large-scale choral and orchestral composition, soon met with overwhelming approval. Jean Jacques Rousseau praised the opening movement as "the most perfect and touching duet by any composer." To this day, enthusiasm for the work continues unabated.
