Grandi turned the plainsong tune of the hymn
Ave maris stella into a catchy triple-time dance – as Monteverdi had done in his 1610 Vespers. Monteverdi set all the verses of the hymn, but Grandi only set the even-numbered verses, apparently expecting the odd-numbered ones to be represented by the string ritornello.
from notes by Peter Holman © 2001
