Allegri - Miserere

With Gregorio Allegri's setting of Miserere mei, Deus (in the 1630s) the Vatican knew they had a gem of what would become late-Renaissance polyphony. Anyone removing a copy was liable to be excommunicated in an attempt to keep the music to themselves.

What they hadn't reckoned on was a 14-year old Wolfgang A. Mozart. On hearing the music performed in the Sistine Chapel in 1770, Mozart wrote it down from memory. The Vatican eventually rescinded the ban, and the music become much more widely performed, though the (unwritten) Renaissance ornamentation present in the Vatican performances was largely missing elsewhere until the rise of historically informed performances became more widespread, by groups such as The Tallis Scholars and their director Peter Phillips.

Written for two choirs of five, and four voices respectively, the music has one choir sing the Miserere chant, and the other sing ornamentations of the chant. The spacious acoustic of the Chapel of Merton College, Oxford where this recording was made has allowed a separation of the two choirs and an ethereal quality to the sound, especially the treble's famous top C.

This is, I think, only the third recording made by the Tallis Scholars - a group which has gone on to define new standards in the performance of period choral music. The record just pre-dates the founding of their own label - Gimell - as a home for their recordings, but in the UK this 1980 recording was issued on EMI's budget classical label Classics for Pleasure. Other EMI territories had to pay more as it was issued at full price in the US (Angel), France (La Voix de Son Maitre) and Australia (HMV), and eventually on the Gimell label.

Recording trivia: this record was engineered by Bob Auger, who recorded the Nielsen 4th Symphony I posted a short while ago.

You can find copies of the Miserere score here.

Cartridge: Ortofon Synergy GM SPU

Phono amp: Graham Slee Accession + Elevator EXP

Turntable: PTP Audio Solid12 + SME M2-12-r tonearm

Miserere mei, Deus

Miserere mei, Deus: secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.

Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum, dele iniquitatem meam.

Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea: et a peccato meo munda me.

Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco: et peccatum meum contra me est semper.

Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci: ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum judicaris.

Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum: et in peccatis concepit me mater mea.

Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti: incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi.

Asperges me hysopo, et mundabor: lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.

Auditui meo dabis gaudium et laetitiam: et exsultabunt ossa humiliata.

Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis: et omnes iniquitates meas dele.

Cor mundum crea in me, Deus: et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis.

Ne proiicias me a facie tua: et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me.

Redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui: et spiritu principali confirma me.

Docebo iniquos vias tuas: et impii ad te convertentur.

Libera me de sanguinibus, Deus, Deus salutis meae: et exsultabit lingua mea justitiam tuam.

Domine, labia mea aperies: et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam.

Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem utique: holocaustis non delectaberis.

Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus: cor contritum, et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies.

Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua Sion: ut aedificentur muri Ierusalem.

Tunc acceptabis sacrificium justitiae, oblationes, et holocausta: tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos.

Have mercy upon me, O God

Have mercy upon me, O God, after Thy great goodness

According to the multitude of Thy mercies do away mine offences.

Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness: and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my faults: and my sin is ever before me.

Against Thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified in Thy saying, and clear when Thou art judged.

Behold, I was shapen in wickedness: and in sin hath my mother conceived me.

But lo, Thou requirest truth in the inward parts: and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly.

Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness: that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice.

Turn Thy face from my sins: and put out all my misdeeds.

Make me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Thy presence: and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.

O give me the comfort of Thy help again: and stablish me with Thy free Spirit.

Then shall I teach Thy ways unto the wicked: and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.

Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, Thou that art the God of my health: and my tongue shall sing of Thy righteousness.

Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord: and my mouth shall shew (= show) Thy praise.

For Thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it Thee: but Thou delightest not in burnt-offerings.

The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, shalt Thou not despise.

O be favourable and gracious unto Sion: build Thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Then shalt Thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, with the burnt-offerings and oblations: then shall they offer young bullocks upon Thine altar.