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Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Roman Catholic hymn to Mary. The title is an abbreviation of the first line, Stabat mater dolorosa ("The sorrowful mother stood"). It is based upon the prophecy of Simeon that a sword was to pierce the heart of Mary (Luke 2:35). Stabat mater has been attributed to Pope Innocent III, St. Bonaventure, or more commonly, Jacopone da Todi, who is considered by most to be the real author.

The spiritual meaning of the Stabat Mater focuses on a mother-son bond that unites Mary with Christ Jesus during his experience of suffering and death. There is a mirror image to this hymn, Stabat Mater speciosa, which echoes the joy of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the birth of Jesus.

The Stabat Mater has been set to music by many composers like Palestrina, Haydn, Rossini, and Dvorák. Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater in C minor (1736) is his best-known sacred work.

Performed by
Jennifer Ellis Kampani (soprano)
Meg Bragle (mezzo soprano)
Risa Browder (violin)
Leslie Nero (violin)
Annie Loud (viola)
John Moran (cello)
Mark Janello (portative organ)

The Georgetown University Chamber Singers
Sara Appleton, Sue Marie Breden, Krista Engemann, Zachary Jaggers, Woo Jung Kim, Kelsey Kolasa, Phillip Hah, Kathleen Hill, Elena Lien, Michael Lindvall, Julia Love, Devin McCarthy, James Muldrow, Eric Nemarich, Peter Prindiville, Jordan Romanoff, Robert Shoemaker, James Warne