Canticum Sacrum

Canticum Sacrum
Sacred choral music
Stravinsky in 1962
Textbiblical
LanguageLatin
Performed13 September 1956 (1956-09-13): St Mark's Basilica, Venice
Duration17 min
Movementsfive
Scoring
  • tenor and baritone soloists
  • mixed choir
  • orchestra

Canticum Sacrum ad Honorem Sancti Marci Nominis is a 17-minute choral-orchestral piece composed in 1955 by Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) in tribute "To the City of Venice, in praise of its Patron Saint, the Blessed Mark, Apostle." The piece is compact and stylistically varied, ranging from established neoclassical modes to experimental new techniques. The second movement, "Surge, Aquilo", represents Stravinsky's first movement based entirely on a tone row.

Though most often abbreviated "Canticum Sacrum", the piece's full name is Canticum Sacrum ad honorem Sancti Marci Nominis, or Canticle to Honor the Name of Saint Mark.