The ten motets (Concerti sacri) Op. 3 by Giuseppe Aldrovandini (1671–1707), for solo bass voice, violins and continuo, are among the composer’s most attractive works. Published in Bologna in 1703, they stand on the borderline between seventeenth-century bel canto and the progressive trends represented by Alessandro Scarlatti and, later, Antonio Vivaldi. The two motets published here (the concluding concerti of the set) delight through their euphony and the sheer swagger of Aldrovandini’s vocal writing.

 Music example: Recedant lacrimae (pdf)
 Music example: Volate, nubila (pdf)