tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115875609078917723.post2939366910421136547..comments2024-02-08T17:05:51.909+00:00Comments on Solomon, I Have Surpassed Thee: Remember, Thou art dust ...Mark Langhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05040760021187483441noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115875609078917723.post-50966897018092038722007-03-03T15:06:00.000+00:002007-03-03T15:06:00.000+00:00But, Ivo, a great one; se non e' vero, e' ben trov...But, Ivo, a great one; se non e' vero, e' ben trovato!Mark Langhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05040760021187483441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115875609078917723.post-784963777252604042007-02-22T22:19:00.000+00:002007-02-22T22:19:00.000+00:00Thank you - I should have added of course that it ...Thank you - I should have added of course that it was sung beautifully and movingly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115875609078917723.post-1476142734545966322007-02-22T20:36:00.000+00:002007-02-22T20:36:00.000+00:00Hooray for Mozart!The 'Miserere' byAllegri, to my ...Hooray for Mozart!The 'Miserere' by<BR/>Allegri, to my mind is the most beautiful piece of music ever written. Thank you for the explanation and the potted history.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115875609078917723.post-32630175943075604762007-02-22T16:03:00.000+00:002007-02-22T16:03:00.000+00:00"However, one such tourist was the young Mozart wh...<I>"However, one such tourist was the young Mozart who, with his phenomenal abilities, was able to reproduce the piece from memory, so that the Papal monopoly was broken!"</I><BR/><BR/><BR/>Now THAT is a real urban myth!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115875609078917723.post-68109963020084285272007-02-22T09:22:00.000+00:002007-02-22T09:22:00.000+00:00Certainly the 'Miserere Mei' was sung excellently ...Certainly the 'Miserere Mei' was sung excellently last night: as always. The first solo from the treble never fails to make my eyes water.<BR/><BR/>Your choir is one of the glories of Westminster and of the Universal Church and you could certainly teach the current Sistine Chapel choir a thing or two.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115875609078917723.post-84104970503949889982007-02-21T23:22:00.000+00:002007-02-21T23:22:00.000+00:00The choir was singing the famed 'Miserere' (the Pe...The choir was singing the famed 'Miserere' (the Penitential Psalm 50) by Allegri - a piece always associated with this day.<BR/><BR/>The verses of the psalm are divided between different forces of voices - sometimes the full choir, sometimes a small semi-choir, and sometimes a soloist.<BR/><BR/>The drama of the piece is incresed by separating these forces - in particular, placing the soaring treble voice with its famous high phrase in a different part of the Cathedral. By moving the semi-choir along the balcony, the sense of drama and of tension was heightened.<BR/><BR/>I believe the history of the composition is that this piece was written for the Papal Choir in the Sistine Chapel, and was considered by the Popes to be so exquisite that it was forbidden to be sung elsewhere. To ensure compliance, the sheet music was not allowed out of the Vatican.<BR/><BR/>It became a great event in the tourist calendar - visiting the Sistine Chapel to hear the papal choir sing the Miserere. However, one such tourist was the young Mozart who, with his phenomenal abilities, was able to reproduce the piece from memory, so that the Papal monopoly was broken!Mark Langhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05040760021187483441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115875609078917723.post-51819367845257197762007-02-21T21:35:00.000+00:002007-02-21T21:35:00.000+00:00I attended the High Mass at the Cathedral this eve...I attended the High Mass at the Cathedral this evening. Can you explain why the choir split in two for the Miserere Mei during the imposition of ashes, with the smaller section starting at the back of the Cathedral and working its way along the balcony for each alternate verse? Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com