The Vatican Choir in Rome is one of the great choruses of the world! It originated in A.D. 1483! In addition to singing the modern music of the mighty legend Fr. Lorenzo Perosi, it sings with deepest understanding the musical compositions of Palestrina and Vittoria, which are the culmination of centuries in developing unaccompanied choral music in Italy and Spain (the music of Palestrina and Vittoria is the highest expression the world has ever known of this kind of music) and it's all sung a capella or alla capella (in church or chapel style) with no instrumental accompaniment, or if used occasionally, the instruments play the same notes that the singers sing! The Sistine Choir, being authentic and singing with such restraint and fervor, rules the roost!
Monday, August 14, 2006
The Sistine Choral Ensemble...live from the Vatican!
The Vatican Choir in Rome is one of the great choruses of the world! It originated in A.D. 1483! In addition to singing the modern music of the mighty legend Fr. Lorenzo Perosi, it sings with deepest understanding the musical compositions of Palestrina and Vittoria, which are the culmination of centuries in developing unaccompanied choral music in Italy and Spain (the music of Palestrina and Vittoria is the highest expression the world has ever known of this kind of music) and it's all sung a capella or alla capella (in church or chapel style) with no instrumental accompaniment, or if used occasionally, the instruments play the same notes that the singers sing! The Sistine Choir, being authentic and singing with such restraint and fervor, rules the roost!
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2 comments:
I beg to differ! Unless the Sistine choir sounds remarkably different from what I recall, it can't be said to "rule the roost" or to sing sacred polyphony with the "deepest understanding"! Yes, they sing with fervour but also with some rather disturbing dissonance and uneven-ness of tone.
The choir of Westminster Cathedral in London sings sacred polyphony and Gregorian chant everyday - the only choir in the world to do this. I would hold the opinion that they lead the way in terms of the execution of sacred music, in the service of the Sacred Liturgy.
As for polyphony, while Palestrina and Vittoria are classical proponents of the style and certainly very fine, it is somewhat hyperbolic to state that they are the "highest expression" of the polyphonic style. What about Byrd, Tallis, Josquin Desprez, Lassus, etc?!
Finally, there are examples of polyphony by Guerrero and others where instruments are used not to support vocal lines but as independent 'voices' in a piece of choral polyphony. Thus, even acapella music was not always unaccommpanied nor was the musical instrument merely used to double the human voice.
I appreciate your enthusiasm about the Sistine choir, whose reputation as one of the world's great choirs has now (tragically) faded away. One need only listen to them sing to dispel the myth of its greatness! And as for its antiquity - the British Isles have far older choral foundations...
I am sorry to dampen your enthusiasm but perhaps you will transfer your attention to Westminster Cathedral choir ?
Thank you.
brother:
amen - the brompton oratory rocks! their music is great (=so roman and not so commonwealth anglican)!
i have to admit that i love to hyperbolize my blog entries for effect (it chiefly entertains me!).
the coolest thing ever was to be in the presence of the elderly john paul ii, of blessed memory, while the choir sang the tu es petrus (thou art peter) of perosi; it always made me weep. or to hear them sing the super flumina babylonis (upon the rivers of babylon) of palestrina or the oremus pro pontifice (let us pray for our pontiff) of perosi, etc.
on mp3 you can likely hear the tu es petrus of perosi (it brings me back to those moments with john paul ii in the vatican basilica)!
as a hobby i collect old vatican choir album records on eBay and you're right, too: the sistine choir has gotten really weak in recent years.
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