Giovanni Maria Ruggieri: Two Settings of the Gloria

The two Ruggieri Glorias are listed in the supplement of the Ryom Vivaldi catalogue as RV Anh. 23 (D major) and RV Anh. 24 (G major). The manuscripts are found in two of the 27 volumes of music which once belonged to Vivaldi and are now located in the Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria di Torino. Ruggieri's present 'claim to fame' derives not from the reputation of his music itself but rather from the fact that Vivaldi borrowed extensively from the composer's Gloria in D for his own settings of the Gloria. However, a study of Ruggieri's Glorias shows that Ruggieri's music has much to offer. His style is unusual and musical originality is certainly evident in scores that deserve much more attention than they have received to date. This edition of these two neglected Gloria settings provides musicians with the opportunity to appreciated Ruggieri's music for its own merits.