ABSTRACT
The hymn Pange lingua has been used regularly in the Catholic liturgy since the Middle Ages. In the chant repertory there are at least ten different settings, among which the original considered to be the oldest is in the Phrygian mode. The hymn to honour the Holy Sacrament was performed outdoors during the Vespers procession of Corpus Domini. Musical performances in S. Domenico Maggiore were given not only for the Quarantore, but also for the most important festivities of Dominican saints: S. Tomaso dAquinoS. Domenico and '8 santi dominicani' and the Santissima Vergine del Rosario with her Novena for which the Dominicans, like the Girolamini, introduced the 'Quaranthore circolari del mese di ottobre'. The autobiography of Bonifacio Pecorone, a singer in the Real Cappella, well illustrates the patronage system operating in the most important musical institutions in the city.
