Monday Musical Moment: Alleluia! Happy Eastertide!

Happy Monday to all!

This week, I wanted to share one of my favorite pieces of music that fits wonderfully with the joy and excitement of the Easter season, Alleluia from Exsultate, jubilate K. 165 by Mozart.

Written in 1773, Exsultate, jubilate is a four-movement religious motet composed by Mozart while in Milan. The most well-known section is the fourth and final movement, the Alleluia, which features expectedly tuneful Mozartean melodies, as well as quick melismatic passages executed by the soloist. As with many pieces of the day, the work was composed especially for a particular singer, whose technical capacity was admired by Mozart, hence the high degree of difficulty. The soloist sings the entire movement only on one word, “alleluia,” in varying speeds and rhythms.

The recording I would like to share today is a special one. Not only is it a very recent one from May 13, 2021, featuring soloist Jeanine De Bique, a dazzling singer from Trinidad and Tobago who has become an absolute force in this style of music as of a few years ago, but it also features musicians from our very own Houston Grand Opera orchestra in the Brown Theater downtown. You will be blown away by how quickly and clearly Ms. De Bique’s voice moves, as well how expressive she is throughout. The video will start at the Alleluia movement, but I wholeheartedly recommend that you watch the entire performance if you are interested!

I hope that you enjoy the music, and that you had a wonderful Easter Sunday!

Justin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRbuWZYucVk&t=697s