This is the stunning "Miserere Mei Deus” (Psalm 51), composed by the Roman Catholic priest and Italian composer of the Roman School Gregorio Allegri (c. 1582 – 17 February 1652). It has seldom if ever been performed in a more sublime manner than by the London based vocal group,Voces8
The Miserere text is traditionally used for Holy Week during Tenebrae services.The well known story and the cry for mercy from King David’s words have reverberated through history.
The humility and yearning of this psalm is amplified in the back and forth of the the chant section with the homophonic and polyphonic textures presented in a double choir format.The ascent to the high C truly reaches to heaven. The subtle changes in stage position during the performance emphasizes the layers and changes of these textures in the prayer.
There are a lot of interesting stories surrounding this sublime piece. Some musicological and some enter a mythic realm. Knowing what a genius Mozart was this one always gets me. It has been said that 14-year old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart arrived at the Vatican for Easter 1n 1770. He was in awe by St Peter’s, but perhaps unsurprisingly, the greatest impression was made on him by Gregorio Allegri’s (c. 1582 – 17 February 1652) stunning "Miserere Mei Deus”. The story is that this unpublished piece was only performed during Holy Week in St. Peters. The precocious Mozart went home and wrote down from one hearing the whole composition from memory. There are more interesting events that led to how this composition evolved and came to be. (More on that in another post).