Hello Music lovers,
For today's #ThreeTunesTuesday or #TTT started by @ablaze, I've brought three videos, all interpreting the same song. How boring, right?
I don't think so.
It's about one of the most famous and legendary compositions in church history. Gregorio Allegri's a cappella rendition of Psalm 51, the "Miserere mei, Deus."
The text is originally sung in Latin, but there are translations available for understanding. I found one in English.
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.
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.
Even though my life circumstances haven't allowed me the privilege of believing in a God myself, I have a deep emotional connection to choral music for some reason unbeknownst to me.
I've simply loved this kind of music since I was a young boy, and since the advent of YouTube, I listen to my favorites as often as I can.
Sometimes, it's to get into a certain mood for writing , and other times, it's because I'm already in a particular state of mind and want to bathe in it.
History Lesson
When I discovered "Miserere Mei, Deus" for myself, I was fascinated and enchanted, and I wanted to learn more about the history of the composition. The first thing you come across in the German-speaking world is the story of a young, 14-year-old boy called Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who, during a visit to Rome with his father, was so moved by the piece in the Sistine Chapel that he wrote it down from memory after the Wednesday service and only had to correct minor errors on a second visit the day after.
Whether this myth is true is now disputed because the second myth, that it was forbidden to copy the score under penalty of excommunication and could only be performed in the Sistine Chapel, also appears to be untrue since "Miserere" was already known in London at that time.
However, such a feat is certainly within the capabilities of the prematurely deceased musical genius Mozart, and the doubts of certain historians alone are not enough for me to discredit this piece of the composition's history.
We forget sometimes, that mass-communication and news travelling around the global in an instant is pretty new. If there was a version known in London, that doesn't mean anything. You could make an argument, that another genius had done the same as Mozart years before him and smuggled a version of Miserere out of the Sistine Chapel. Mozart and the rest of the world most certainly didn't know that then.
What's also curious is that the version of "Miserere Mei, Deus" most commonly performed today, with the high C in the soprano voice, is thanks to a coincidence, or rather, a translation error.
Since Allegri's original, which he likely composed in the 1630s, the work underwent several revisions and additions, especially through ornamentation.
Famous German composer Jakob Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Pietro Alfieri, among others, made additions to the work in the mid-19th century.
However, at the end of the 19th century, in 1880, William Smyth Rockstro made a significant error in his compiled volume, the "Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians," which turned out to be a blessing for subsequent generations of music lovers and soprano voices.
He transcribed a section of Allegri's "Miserere" a fourth too high, forcing the soprano voices to sing the high C.
The original sounds beautiful, but this "mistake" led to the current popularity among ambitious choirs, which further grew in 1963 with a version by the King's College Choir.
Today, this new version is mostly sung to let the soprano voices shine. And you can listen to how they shine in the links below.
Tenebrae Choir conducted by Nigel Short
The version by the Tenebrae Choir was the first one I found on YouTube, and for many years, it was the only one I listened to.
The female singer who must reach the highest note does so effortlessly. There are some choirs that use male or boy sopranos, and they sound similarly impressive. However, hitting that high C without using a balloon is a rare feat, which can seem oddly out of place in a religious setting.
The video is professionally filmed, set in St. Bartholomew the Great Church in London. The sound of these angelic voices fills the entire space.
I may not be religious, but when I listen to this music, my soul soars, and my heart leaps with involuntary joy.
One can understand, why people believe in god, when you hear such a magnificent composition.
The reverb alone elevates the choirs voices to ethereal beauty.
One of the most perfectly composed pieces of art and it all happened by mistake. At least the part, that is most famous today and was not to be heard even one single time in the Sistine Chapel. That is unbelievable.
It is quite literally made for beyond this world and it feels like it.
Its beauty is hurting inside and it's overwhelming, but at the same time you appreciate, that there was a time, where this kind of music was the norm and not this autotune crap for modern consumers.
The one thing consumed listening to Allegri's Miserere Mei Deus is your soul and it comes out cleansed at the end of it.
I come back to this version quite often, when I'm down or when I need a specific feeling for writing or just thinking, nothing else can give me.
Ascending to heaven and you're escorted by angels into the realm of god.
VOCE8 - Miserere Mei, Deus by Gregorio Allegri's
VOCE8 are a British vocal ensemble of 8 singers. Andra Haines is the Soprano in this group and what a soprano she is.
Though I will always have an affinity to the tiny woman with the beautiful voice from the Tenebrae Choir, whose name I don't know, I have to admit, that Haines' voice is probably the best I have heard for this piece of art.
VOCE8 have even a Grammy nomination under their belt.
They are perfect in every way. Perfect pitch, the harmonies are out of this world and I read somewhere, that they published the video during Holy Week, which is fitting for the Tenebrae.
It is quite literally breathtaking hearing those voices work so well together.
How Allegri's Miserere should really sound | The Marian Consort
In the third video, you can see the evolution of the song, beginning from Allegri's original to the 18th century version, wherein a second voice was implemented and the version we know and adore today after Rockstro's blissful erorr.
The narrator also touches upon the story involving Mozart, but as I mentioned, just because a historical event is doubted nowadays doesn't mean that it didn't happen in some way or another. Deconstructionism has already destroyed so much magic in our world. We don't have to dismantle every beautiful story just because there are no perfect records or video evidence by today's standards.
Between narration we are treated to the wonderful voices of the Marian Consort choir, who sing all of the versions beginning from Allegri to today's masterpiece with the top c.
Thumbnail created via Canva
Pictures not sourced are created by me via AI.
These really are all great interpretations of the same song. Definitely not redundant, and all very beautiful. I enjoyed listening to the history of the song in the last video as well.
I will admit, I have some similar feelings to yours; I'm not a very religious person, but choral and cathedral music is incredibly soothing and does bring about an inner peace. The first version you presented here, in the cathedral, is particularly moving.