Happy Allegri day!

[Diapason]

Even if the weather is Miserere-able...

[Jared]

^^ Simon,

firstly, I've known people get thrown off forums for puns as terrible as that...

secondly, it appears he died on 17th February 1652, meaning his 360th anniversary was last Friday:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorio_Allegri

is this date in dispute, at all?

[Diapason]

Dunno, but Wiki is generally pretty good on the dates. Happy birthday Allegri! I wonder what he'd make of the "current" version of the Miserere?

Sorry about the pun. I hate myself a little bit.

[Jared]

I wonder what he'd make of the "current" version of the Miserere?

Sorry about the pun. I hate myself a little bit.

quite right. a little bit of self-loathing never did anyone any harm..

can you expand on the opening line? do you mean sopranos hitting the top C rather than small boys, or something more profound?

[Diapason]

More profound than that.

I'm reasonably sure (although I probably shouldn't spend my worktime finding a suitable source!) that Allegri's Miserere didn't include the top C's at all, and that they were added later. Leave it with me...

[Diapason]

Try this for starters:

http://ancientgroove.co.uk/essays/allegri.html

[Jared]

^^ yes, the Wiki page talks about the version taken back to England by Dr Charles Burney, as being without this ornamentation, too... seems to tie up.

thanks, Simon.

[Diapason]

Of course, it doesn't really matter where they came from, I love those high C's!!

[Jared]

Of course, it doesn't really matter where they came from, I love those high C's!!

me too... are you a fan of Sheppard's 'Media Vita'? Bet you are... ;-)

[Seán]

Even if the weather is Miserere-able...

ah it keeps down the dust and a happy musical day to you too.