ALLEGRI, GREGORIO

This article appears in Volume V01, Page 690 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: AJA-ALL

ALLEGRI, GREGORIO , Italian priest and musical composer, probably of the Correggio family, was born at Rome either in 156o or in 1585. He studied music under G. Maria Nanini, the intimate friend of Palestrina. Being intended for the church, he obtained a benefice in the cathedral of Fermo. Here he composed a large number of motets and sacred pieces, which, being brought under the notice of

Pope

Urban VIII., obtained for him an appointment in the choir of the Sistine Chapel at Rome. He held this from December 1629 till his death on the 18th of February 1652. His character seems to have been singularly pure and benevolent. Among the musical compositions of Allegri were two volumes of concerti, published in 1618 and 1619; two volumes of motets, published in 162o and 1621; besides a number of works still in manuscript. He was one of the earliest composers for stringed

instruments

INSTRUMENTS

, and Kircher has given one specimen of this class of his works in the Musurgia. But the most celebrated composition of Allegri is the

Miserere

MISERERE (the imperative of Lat. misereri, to have mercy or pity)

, still annually performed in the Sistine Chapel at Rome. It is written for two choirs, the one of five and the other of four voices, and has obtained a celebrity which, if not entirely factitious, is certainly not due to its intrinsic merits alone. The mystery in which the composition was long enshrouded, no single copy being allowed to reach the public, the place. and circumstances of the performance, and the added embellishments of the singers, account to a

great

GREAT

degree for much of the impressive effect of which all who have heard the music speak. This view is confirmed by the fact that, when the music was performed at Venice by permission of the

pope

, it produced so little effect that the emperor

Leopold

LEOPOLD (M.H. Ger. Liupolt; O.H. Ger. Liupald, from hut, Mod. Ger. Leute, " people," and paid, " bold," i.e. " bold for the people ")

I., at whose request the manuscript had been sent, thought that something else had been substituted. In spite of the precautions of the popes, the

Miserere

MISERERE (the imperative of Lat. misereri, to have mercy or pity)

has long been public property. In 1769 Mozart (q.v.) heard it and wrote it down, and in 1771 a copy was procured and published in England by Dr

Burney

BURNEY, CHARLES (1726-1814)

. The entire music performed at Rome in Holy

Week

WEEK (from A.S. wicu, Germanic *wikon, probably=
change
- CHANGE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. cambium, cambiare, to barter; the ultimate derivation is probably from the root which appears in the Gr. «a urmu', to bend)
, turn)

, Allegri's Miserere included, has been issued at

Leipzig

LEIPZIG

by Breitkopf and Hartel. Interesting accounts of the impression produced by the performance at Rome may be found in the first volume of Mendelssohn's letters and in Miss Taylor's Letters from Italy.

End of Article: ALLEGRI, GREGORIO

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/AJA_ALL/ALLEGRI_GREGORIO.html">
ALLEGRI, GREGORIO
</a>

(Previous)
ALLEGORY (iXXos, other, and ayopeuav, to speak)

(Next)
ALLEGRO (an Italian word, meaning " cheerful," ...

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email