Miserere written by gregorio allegri biography

Gregorio Allegri ( - ) was a singer in the Papal Chapel from 6th December , until his death on 17th February He is almost exclusively known for his falsobordone setting of Psalm 51 (Vulgate Psalm 50), the Miserere mei, despite numerous other worthy compositions. Most will know this choral work for its haunting top C, sung by one voice in a small choir, and the sweeping harmony of the larger choir, separated by simple plain chant, and also the myths surrounding its performance by the Sistine Chapel Choir. But Allegri's original is far removed from this received version, so what has happened over the years to transform the work?

History beguiles us with tales of secret ornamentation – the so called abbellimenti – never written down, but simply passed from performer to performer in the Papal Chapel. It was de rigeur for those on the Grand Tour in the 18th century to hear the work in the Sistine Chapel during Holy Week. Many have exp

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Miserere mei, Deus

Gregorio Allegri ()

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Miserere by Italian composer Gregorio Allegri (also called "Miserere mei, Deus" - English "Have mercy on me, O God") is a setting of Psalm 51 (50) composed during the reign of Pope Urban VIII, probably during the s, for use in the Sistine Chapel during matins on Wednesday and Friday of Holy Week. It was the gods of twelve falsobordone Miserere settings composed and chanted at the service since and the most popular: at some point, it became forbidden to transcribe the music and it was only allowed to be performed at those particular services, adding to the mystery surrounding it. Writing it down or performing it elsewhere was punishable bygd excommunication. The setting that escaped from the Vatican is actually a conflation of verses set bygd Gregorio Allegri around and Tommaso Bai ( - , also spelled "Baj") in
The Miserere is written for two choirs, one of fem and on

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What are the lyrics and origins of Allegri’s ‘Miserere’?

9 January ,

Tenebrae choir sing exquisite Allegri 'Miserere’ at St Bartholomew the Great church

Allegri’s heavenly ‘Miserere’ is the stuff of legends. Well, one particular legend, to be precise

Here’s everything you need to know about Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere Mei including what the lyrics mean, and what the origins of the piece are.

What are the origins of Allegri’s Miserere – and did Mozart really transcribe it?

Mozart, when he was a teenager, so the story goes, once heard Allegri’s Miserere being performed in the Sistine Chapel. The precocious young composer apparently scurried home and wrote down the entire work from memory.

Wonderful as the story sounds, it’s almost certainly apocryphal: it would have been highly likely that Mozart would have come across the Miserere before, given its already significant popularity in musical circles.

The work itself is a sublime nine-voice setting of Psalm Mis