01	Miserere A Neuf Voix						15:20
	02	Introit: Statuit ei dominum						02:50
	03	Kyrie						02:39
	04	Gloria						03:20
	05	Graduel: exaltent eum						03:03
	06	Credo						06:33
	07	Sanctus						03:19
	08	Agnus Dei						03:21
	09	De ore prudentis (motet a trois voix et continuo)						01:52
	10	Repleti sunt omnes (motet a trois voix et continuo)						01:41
	11	Cantate domino (motet a quatre voix et continuo)						03:13
	12	Miserere A Neuf Voix						14:33

Gregorio Allegri: Miserere; Messe Vidi Turbam Magnum; Motets
Catalog Astree: 8524
Spars DDD
Time 61:42
Date 1994



Miserere mei Deus (Psalm 51), motet for chorus
Composer Gregorio Allegri
Genre Psalm Setting
Composition Date 16??

Description
Three Psalms open with the word, "miserere": Nos. 51, 56, and 57 (in the Hebrew numbering followed in the Authorized Version and Prayer Book translations). Of these, No. 51, beginning, "Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam" (Have mercy on me, Lord, according to your great kindness), is the fourth and best known of the Penitential Psalms. It is a very important text in the history of Western polyphonic music, set by numerous composers, including Josquin, Giovanelli, Palestrina, Victoria, Lassus, Gesualdo, and Giovanni Gabrieli. Gregorio Allegri (1582 - 1652) composed the most famous setting, which is still in use for Holy Week celebrations at the Papal Chapel in Rome.
Sometime after 1630, Allegri was appointed to the papal choir under Pope Urban VIII. Much of his sacred work, all a cappella, was written for either this choir or that of the church of Santa Maria Vallicella. Today he is known solely for his Miserere. The bulk of Allegri's output, however, seems to have been for accompanied choirs, setting secular texts.

For many years, Allegri's setting was kept a secret in Rome; none of the singers was allowed to take home or copy any part of the work. After hearing the piece, the young Mozart wrote it out in April 1770, during a visit to the Vatican. Evidently, the authorities at the chapel were more impressed than outraged. Only three copies of the work had been made before this, and one of these was for Padre Martini, whom Mozart knew. Discovered in 1770 by English music historian Charles Burney (1726-1815), the piece was published in London by Novello.

In the text of the "Miserere," the psalmist requests pardon for his sins, which he confesses. He then prays to be restored to grace, in return for which he will make the Lord's mercy known to others and will offer him the sacrifice or a contrite heart. The final strophe, added much later, asks for the restoration of Jerusalem.

Allegri's setting is basically a five-voice falsobordone chant that is modified by the incorporation of ornamental passages sung by a separate, four-voice choir, with one singer per part. Unusually, the upper line of this second group reaches a high C. This sort of ornamentation is atypical of the music composed for the papal choir, which is generally in the more conservative style of Palestrina. -- John Palmer





The French vocal ensemble A Sei Voci was founded in 1977, taking as its vocation the rediscovery of often hitherto unpublished scores from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, which it performs in the spirit of the time whilst giving its concerts a visual dimension and thus increasing the emotional power of the music tenfold. The musicians' approach is based on the latest research, carried out in collaboration with various musicologists. Each new production involves a great deal of ground work, involving the reconstruction of original manuscripts, research into interpretation, concerts, master classes, presentations and recording. Although they show the greatest respect in their interpretation for the both work and the repertoire, they are also capable of breaking free from the established rules and the weight of embellishments in order to find a singing that is profoundly sensual and sensuous. A SEI VOCI is variable in size, with a hard core of six vocal soloists, who are joined by other singers and instrumentalists as performances require. In 1991, the ensemble was recomposed around one of its founders, Bernard Fabre-Garrus. Within just a few years it has built up a fine international reputation in the poyphonic repertoire; in 1994 it was voted "Vocal Ensemble of the Year" at the French Victoires de la Musique Classique. A SEI VOCI give about sixty concerts each year in France and abroad, appearing at some of the most prestigious venues. Its recordings on the AUVIDIS/ASTREE label (Josquin Desprez, Allegri, Bencini, Janequin, Jommelli) have received numerous awards and wide acclaim from the critics.
The ensemble is also very attentive to musical creation in the present day and has inspired and premiered works by Thierry Escaich, Michel Decoust, Guy Reibel, Michel Levinas and Laurent Cuniot, which have been taken into their repertoire.

A Sei Voci is supported by the City of Sable-sur-Sarthe, the Sarthe General Council, the Regional Council of the Pays-de-Loire and the French Ministry of Culture.






Gregorio Allegri
Country Italy
Birth 1582
Death Feb 7, 1652 in Rome
Period Baroque

Biography
Born in 1582, Gregorio Allegri, an Italian priest, singer, and composer in the tradition of the stile antico, is primarily known for his Miserere, a nine-part setting of Psalm 1. According to a legend, Mozart, wrote out the full score of this work after hearing it only once, thus effectively violating the rule which prohibited anyone to remove any parts of the score from the Sistine Chapel, where it was guarded.
During the Romantic period, when composers and literary figures embraced the ideals of the stile antico, Allegri's Miserere was much admired. Allegri's other works include motets and instrumental concertini. He died in 1652. -- Zoran Minderovic