Miserere mei, Deus

• Written ca. 1638, Allegri’s Miserere is an acapella setting of Psalm 51 for two choirs (SSATB and SSAB). The first choir sings a harmonization of the plainchant, and the second ornaments the plainchant.
• The psalm setting was traditionally sung during the Holy Week services in the Sistine Chapel from Allegri’s lifetime until the late 19th century.
• Interestingly, the version of the piece that is now performed is a different version than the composer originally wrote. This is due to the tradition of singers passing down their ornamentation verbally rather than writing them down, and it was forbidden for outside musicians to transcribe the music.
  • Many composers who visited Rome and subsequently heard Allegri’s Miserere have attempted to write down the “correct” version of the work, including (famously) W. A. Mozart. The version recorded today using fragments of the composer’s manuscript and other sources was completed as recently as the 1970s.
• Fun fact – the distinctive high C that is common practice today most likely would not have existed in Allegri’s original version due to the harmonic movement leading up to the famous note. Read more about the high note that wouldn’t have been in Allegri’s version here.¹

Latin text of Psalm 51 with English translation

1. Andrew Carwood, Notes in accompanying booklet, Hear my prayer performed by St. Paul’s Cathedral Choir conducted by John Scott, Helios 66439, 1991, compact disc.