Oratorio Vespertino

Vigil at the Oratory of St. Philip Neri

Rome, early seventeenth century, Philippe Neri, the founder of Oratorians follows the recommendations of the Council of Trent Counter-Reform : music must seduce, convince, edify the faithful.
One of the moments when music was most in the spotlight was known as Oratorio Vespertino. It was a service given every day after Vespers, where a sermon was delivered by heart by a child, lauds sung by the faithful and spiritual madrigals in Italian sung by professionals. The success of the Oratorio Vespertino had to be balanced between a very simple music that could be sung by the crowd for edification purposes and a more sophisticated music, the spiritual madrigals, sung by professionals for the enjoyment of a aristocratic public more cultivated.