Folks who are into Baroque music know Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) for his majestic Four Seasons concerto. Yet there is a major part of Vivaldi’s output which gets much less attention, and this is what I want to focus on today. I’m referring to Vivaldi’s considerable output of sacred music, some of which were composed during his tenure as violin master and teacher at the Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage for girls in Venice.
The work I wish to share today is the lovely Cum Dederit, from the 4th movement of Vivaldi’s setting of Psalm 127 in the Bible, Nisi Dominus, which he composed between 1713 and 1707 for solo voice to be sung during vespers (evening liturgy). Nisi Dominus means “without God,” referencing the first verse of Psalm 127 which reads,
Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
Of all the movements of Nisi Dominus, I find Cum Dederit to be the most beautiful given its silvery smooth lines and vibrant rhythms. This short movement (about 3 minutes long) is set to verses 2 and 3 of Psalm 127 which reads
2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.
3 Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Here is Cum dederit from Nisi Dominus RV 608, performed by countertenor Philippe Jaroussky.