As with other choral pieces the composer, Vivaldi, wrote many introduzioni (introductory motets) that were to be performed before the Gloria itself.
The lesser known of the two surviving Glorias, RV 588 was most likely composed during Vivaldi's employment at the Pio Ospedale della Pietà, known for its advanced choral ensemble.
Many movements show inspiration from this composition, and two movements ("Qui Tollis" and "Cum Sancto Spiritu") are plagiarised from the original Ruggieri setting (although "Qui Tollis" completely omits the second coro (chorus), and "Cum Sancto Spiritu" is slightly modified).
This piece, along with its mother composition RV 588, was composed at the same time during Vivaldi's employment at the Pietà.
23 and RV 588, except extensively harmonically modified, becoming more chromatic than its predecessors, reflecting a maturity in Vivaldi's output and the emerging style of the late Italian Baroque.
Little information exists on this lost work other than its instrumentation (five voices and oboes in trombae) in the Kreuzherren catalogue.
RV 589 enjoys well-founded popularity and is performed at many sacred events, including Christmas.
Attempts to attract more attention to RV 588 and other sacred Vivaldi works (most notably by The King's Consort) are underway.
An adaptation of the second movement was used with profound effect in the final climactic scenes of the 1985 Andrei Konchalovsky film Runaway Train.