Vivaldi's Magnificat probably dates from shortly after the 1726 death of composer C.P. Grua, which resulted in his having to provide sacred music for the Venetian orphanage and convent he enjoyed a long-standing relation with: the Ospedale della Pietà. There are actually three versions of the work: 1) for SSAT soli, chorus and orchestra (RV 610); 2) for SSSAT soli, double chorus and two orchestras (RV 610a); and the final version (RV 611), which takes six movements from RV 610 replaces the other three movements with solos written for specific singers at the Pietà: Apollonia, la Bolognesa, Chiaretta, Ambrosina and Albetta.
Westermann's edition, originally published by now-defunct publisher E.F. Kalmus, retains the material from the original single-chorus version (RV 610), while including the added solo material Vivaldi inserted for RV 611 as alternatives, making it eminently practical for today's choral groups. In contrast so many of the on-demand scores now available, this one comes with all the pages! The images have been thoroughly checked to make sure it is readable and it's beautifully printed with a quality cover.
