Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater (1736) is a setting of the medieval Latin hymn describing Mary’s sorrow at the crucifixion of Christ. Pergolesi conveys grief through graceful melodies, gentle dissonances, and a close dialogue between the voice parts. Stabat Mater offers a powerful meditation on suffering and faith, made all the more poignant by the composer’s own short life, having died age 26.