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Hyperion Records

Miserere mei, Deus
composer
author of text
Psalm 50 (51)
editor

Recordings
Cover of 'Hear my prayer' (CDH55445)
Hear my prayer
CDH55445  Helios (Hyperion's budget label) July 2013 Release  
Cover of 'Allegri: Miserere & the music of Rome' (CDA67860)
Cover of 'Exultate Deo' (CDA66850)
Cover of 'The Music of St Paul's Cathedral' (SPCC2000)
Details
Track 4 on CDH55445 [13'35] Helios (Hyperion's budget label) July 2013 Release Copyright holder as reported by MCPS: Chester Music Ltd
Track 8 on CDA66850 [11'21] Copyright holder as reported by MCPS: Public Domain
Track 15 on CDA67860 [12'35] Copyright holder as reported by MCPS: Public Domain
Track 13 on SPCC2000 [13'35] Super-budget price sampler Copyright holder as reported by MCPS: Chester Music Ltd

Miserere mei, Deus
Gregorio Allegri (1582–1652) is perhaps best known for his nine-part setting of Il salmo Miserere mei Deus (Psalm 51) and for his connection with the papal choir where he became a singer (probably a tenor) under Pope Urban VIII. The Miserere has traditionally been sung in Holy Week every year by the papal choir. The music was a closely guarded secret and, prior to Dr Burney’s publication of the work in La musica della Settimana Santa in 1790, there were only three copies of the work outside the papal chapel. These were in the possession of Emperor Leopold I, the King of Portugal and the composer Padre Martini. Although there is no evidence to substantiate the claim, it is said that excommunication would be the fate awaiting anyone who made an unauthorized copy of the music. Mozart heard the piece at the age of fourteen and either made a copy of the work during or after an actual performance. Although there is no doubt that Mozart was a genius, such a feat of aural dictation might not be quite as difficult as may be imagined: structurally the piece is fairly simple, being a falsobordone chant in five parts. A second four-part choir sing abbellimenti which contains the famous top C, certainly something of a rarity in the seventeenth century. The musical material is repeated five times to different verses of the Psalm, and the final verse is sung in nine parts. The edition used on this recording was prepared by Dr George Guest.

from notes by William McVicker © 1991

Track-specific metadata
Click track numbers opposite to select

Details for CDA66439 track 4
Artists
ISRC
GB-AJY-91-43904
Duration
13'35
Recording date
19 July 1990
Recording venue
St Paul's Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
Recording producer
Mark Brown
Recording engineer
Antony Howell
Hyperion usage
  1. Hear my prayer (CDA66439)
    Disc 1 Track 4
    Release date: June 1991
    Deletion date: December 2010
    Superseded by CDH55445
  2. Hear my prayer (CDH55445)
    Disc 1 Track 4
    Release date: July 2013
    Helios (Hyperion's budget label) July 2013 Release
  3. The Music of St Paul's Cathedral (SPCC2000)
    Disc 1 Track 13
    Release date: July 2000
    Super-budget price sampler
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