A Most Moving Piece of Music

A few years ago I was lucky enough to be visiting York Minster when the choir was practising.  It was then that I heard, for the first time, a most moving piece of Classical music.  Even today it seems to speak to something deep inside me.  And the piece of music?  It was the Miserere.

This masterpiece was written in the 1630s, during the term of Pope Urban VIII, by the Italian composer Gregorio Allegri for matins services during Holy Week.

http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/works/allegri/miserere.php states that the intention was that

"Twice during that week, on Wednesday and Friday, the service would start at 3AM when 27 candles were extinguished one at a time until but one remained burning. According to reports, the pope would participate in these services. Allegri composed his setting of the Miserere for the very end of the first lesson of these Tenebrae services. At the final candle, the pope would kneel before the altar and pray while the Miserere was sung, culminating the service."

 

I've attended Maundy Thursday services where the church is cleared and the candles extinguished whilst the choir sings so I have some idea of what it must have been like when it was originally performed.

Its mystery was maintained and writing it down or performing anywhere other than in Vatican premises could lead to excommunication.

Letters belonging to the Mozart family state that in 1770 the young composer was visiting Rome when he heard a performance.  Later that Wednesday he transcribed the piece from memory only returning on Friday to make minor amendments.  The following year the British historian Dr Charles Burney acquired the copy and brought it back to London to be printed.

Mozart was summoned to the Vatican but instead of suffering the wrath of the Pope he was congratulated and the ban was lifted ... fortunately (although it does mean that now it can be heard in films and on tv at the most unexpected times - I recently heart it during a trail for the Sky One comedy Trollied whilst a character skipped through a field!)

A performance by The Sixteen (with lyrical translation) can be found at
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh6s71MicgY