Rhetorical figures and symbols in the aria “Vidit suum” from “Stabat Mater” by G.B. Pergolesi

Abstract

The concept of musical rhetoric, closely connected with the affect theory, temperaments, and number symbology constituted one of the main preoccupations of composers and theorists in the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Rhetorical figures have developed in vocal music and had the role of underlining the significances of the text in an expressive way. Subsequently, they came to be used in instrumental music too, their interpretation being conditioned by the musical context. A perfect joining of rhetorical elements with religious text can be found in the work "Stabat Mater" by G.B. Pergolesi. The aria "Vidit suum" illustrates the dramatic moment of Christ death, through the music loaded with number symbols and suggestive rhetorical figures.