Or Che La Vaga Aurora (Vittoria Aleotti) - North Sky Chorale 2026
From our ANIMATED concert in Saskatoon, SK
Knox United Church, Saskatoon, SK April 25, 2026
North Sky Chorale is directed by Richard Janzen
Audio and Video Recording by Craig Bauman
Video editing by Richard Janzen
Audio Mastering by Brandon Janzen
Italian Lyrics:
Or che la vaga aurora
Sovra un caro di foco
Appar in ogni loco
Co’l figlio di Latona
Che’l suo dorato crine
A l’Alpi e a le campagne
À noi vicine mostra
Con dolci accenti
Questi la ben temprata lira suona
Onde gli spirti
Pellegrini intenti
Odono l’armonia
Che l’alme nostre al ciel erg’et invia
English Translation:
Oh, how the beautiful dawn
driving a chariot of fire
appears in every location
with the son of Latona
how his golden hair
on the Alps and the countryside
to our vicinity shows
with sweet accents
like the well-tuned lyre
that the spirits
wandering intently
hear the harmony
that invites our souls to heaven.
Vittoria Aleotti (c. 1575 – after 1620) was an Italian Augustinian nun, a composer, and organist of the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. She is recognized as one of the earliest known female composers to have works published, contributing to the development of sacred and secular vocal music.
Some scholars believe she may also have been the composer known as Raffaella Aleotta (c. 1570 – after 1646), who also published a collection of sacred motets in 1593, however this has not been historically proven. After 1593, Vittoria disappeared from the historical record, while Raffaella gained tremendous fame.
Vittoria’s contributions to music were significant in an era when female composers were rare, and her works remain a subject of interest in studies of women in Renaissance music.
“Or che la vaga aurora” was first published in 1593, which means Vittoria Aleotti would have been 18 years of age (or less) at the time of composition.