Comments on: Allegri's Miserere Mei

Allegri's Miserere Mei

turbodog — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:03:55 -0800

Gregorio Allegri's Miserere Mei [MP3, Coral cache] has been performed in the Sistine Chapel every Holy Week since 1638, but the haunting a cappella piece had a long, strange trip to get to the outside world.

By: turbodog

turbodog — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:07:35 -0800

The linked MP3 isn't the greatest recording, but it was the only one I could find online. The choir is a little shaky at first, but they get it going by the end. Don't miss the opportunity to hear this performed live. It's absolutely jaw-dropping.

By: Decani

Decani — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:16:49 -0800

One of the greats. I have a version by Kings College from some time in the seventies. It's the best I've ever heard. When the little bugger hits that ethereal top note... Jeeeesus. It doesn't sound human.

By: Decani

Decani — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:17:38 -0800

Kings College choir, obviously. Not the rugby team. Although I'd sort of fancy hearing that, come to think of it.

By: matteo

matteo — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:18:02 -0800

the link's already dead

By: brownpau

brownpau — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:18:57 -0800

Both Allegri's Miserere and the 51st Psalm (on which the work was based) have been nodal elements in my life. While the linked MP3 is a bit screechy, I would recommend the recording mentioned in the linked CD review and history; the Tallis Scholars capture perfectly the ethereal "choir of angels" effect magnifying the psalmist's own grieved guilt. So enamoured was I with this choral work, in fact, that I made it into a Flash art piece for an interactive design class. (Warning: self-link, popup, flash, frames, potentially loud onmouseover sounds, and bible text.) On preview: Ooo, Decani, the Kings College version is even better.

By: brownpau

brownpau — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:22:27 -0800

Oh, another thing:

Allegri's Miserere = iTunes
Catholic Church = Apple
Papal Ban = DRM
Mozart = DVD John

Did I get it right? ;)

By: gwint

gwint — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:23:10 -0800

Gorgeous music. Cool back-story. Great post.

By: berek

berek — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:26:05 -0800

the link's already dead It worked for me

By: sciurus

sciurus — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:53:24 -0800

Well. That was beautiful. Good post.

By: RMALCOLM

RMALCOLM — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 12:10:15 -0800

Excellent Post T. Stunning to consider that anyone, even a 12 year old Mozart, could capture such a piece in one hearing and write it from memory. No doubt he was even more inspired upon hearing it than we are.

By: carter

carter — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 12:10:23 -0800

One of my favourites ... cheers! I first encountered it as a sample by the Orb ...

By: turbodog

turbodog — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 12:18:35 -0800

If the Coral cache is flaky, here's a link to the original site. I just didn't want it to get hammered. FWIW, the only recording I have is on Cathedral Classics.

By: Igor XA

Igor XA — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 12:23:07 -0800

i remember when i was 11 my piano teacher told me the story of that song. i had completely forgotten about it until today. thanks for the link and the mp3.

By: Igor XA

Igor XA — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 12:26:11 -0800

carter, what orb track is that?

By: dontrememberthis

dontrememberthis — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 13:14:54 -0800

Reading the story got me kinda mad. The truly beautiful horded by the Church....share this beautiful thing with others and we/God will punish you. sickening.

By: AlexReynolds

AlexReynolds — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 14:47:45 -0800

Miserere Dominus, Miserere Dominus, Canis mortuus est.

By: carter

carter — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 14:57:11 -0800

Igor XA: "Into the Fourth Dimension," from "The Orb's Adventures beyond the Ultraworld." There's a better (I think) version of this on their Peel Sessions CD.

By: brownpau

brownpau — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 15:10:35 -0800

By the way, the church scene in Face/Off used the Miserere Mei for background music. I thought it was extremely annoying.

By: deborah

deborah — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 16:16:34 -0800

A beautiful piece of music. Thanks for sharing.

By: matteo

matteo — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 16:32:53 -0800

link works now, thanks

By: fake

fake — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 16:35:03 -0800

A properly formatted Google search turns up a few better copies.

By: hortense

hortense — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 20:30:27 -0800

Yes this is beautiful. If you like this sort of thing Stabat Mater by Vivaldi is heartbreaking , but not popular. the music was discovered in 1939. worth checking out,Easter and all.

By: the_bone

the_bone — Wed, 23 Mar 2005 21:00:36 -0800

An excellent recording was done by the Cambridge Singers, and can be found here.

By: ubernostrum

ubernostrum — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 00:42:03 -0800

hortense: speaking of musical renditions of the Stabat Mater, Giovanni Pergolesi's has always been one of my favorites; when I learned later that he'd composed it while dying of tuberculosis it became rather more powerful. Dvorák's is also quite good.

By: ubernostrum

ubernostrum — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 00:42:54 -0800

And apparently Metafilter doesn't like the accented 'r' in Dvorak's name...

By: hortense

hortense — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 01:06:22 -0800

Decani : the high part was originally sung by a castrati, your bugger comment made me chuckle :-)