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Though he was, until the arrival of Rossini, the leading operatic composer of the time, Johann Simon Mayr also wrote a significant body of church music. Marked by clear formal structures and skillful instrumentation, the works on this recording were composed between 1800 and 1830, the majority when Mayr was maestro di cappella in Bergamo. There are several settings of Marian antiphons- Latin hymns to the Virgin Mary- as well as settings of sacred poetry. Elements of the writing point to his operatic experience, with rich and varied use of accompanying winds, songlike themes, and a wide vocal range. Conductor Franz Hauk has been responsible for reestablishing the music of Johann Simon Mayr, one of the most significant operatic and vocal composers residing in Italy before the rise of Rossini. Hauk founded the Simon Mayr Chorus in 2003.
