Allegri: Miserere - Choir of St Paul's Cathedral - Jeremy Budd, Soprano

SEE LYRICS BELOW.

Edited for YouTube running time.

Photos are of St. Paul's Cathedral interior, chosen randomly from Google.

From the "Hear My Prayer" CD, Hyperion Records.

Psalm 51 (to the Chief Musician):
Miserere mei, Deus: secundum magnam misericordiam tuam. [Have mercy on me, God: according to the greatness of your mercy.]
Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum: dele inquitatem meam. [And according to the multitude of your mercies: erase my sins.]
Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea: et a peccato meo munda me. [Thoroughly cleanse me from my iniquity: and from my sins wash me.]
Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco: et peccatum meum contra me est semper. [For I know my iniquities: and my sin is always before me.]
Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci: ut iustificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum iudicaris. [Against you alone have I sinned, and in your sight I have done evil: that you may be found just when you speak, and blameless when you judge.]
Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum: et in peccatis concepit me mater mea. [Behold, I was conceived in iniquity: and in sin my mother conceived me.]
Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti: incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi. [Behold, you desire truth within: and my innermost hidden places you will make to know wisdom.]
Asperges me hyssopo et mundabor: lavabis me et super nivem dealbabor. [Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean: wash me and I shall be whiter than the snow.]
...
Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium dedisem utique: holocaustis non delectaberis. [For you do not desire the sacrifice I would otherwise offer you: burnt things do not delight you.]
Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus: cor contritum et humiliatum Deus non despiciens. [The sacrifices of God are these - a broken spirit: and a contrite and humble heart - O God, do not despise them.]
Benigne fac Domine in bona voluntate tua Sion: ut aedificentur muri Jerusalem. [Be gracious, Lord, in your good will toward Zion: and build the walls of Jerusalem.]
Tunc acceptabis sacrificium iustitiae, oblationes et holocausta: tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos. [Then shall you accept appropriate sacrifices, oblations and burnt offerings: then they shall offer bulls on your altar.]

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Allegri
• Miserere
• St
• Paul's
• Cathedral
• Jeremy
• Budd
• Boy
• Soprano
• Ash
• Wednesday
• Psalm
• 51
• Choral
• Choir
• Reverb

[TheChantProject]

Allegri would have been very surprised by the fact of this simple piece becoming, 350 years after his death, more famous than any single work by the most popular composer of his time, Palestrina. As John Rutter noted, the music as it is performed today includes a copying error from the 1880s. The sudden modulation from G minor to C minor in the solo quartet occurs because the second half of the verse is the same as the first half, but transposed up a fourth, ergo Allegri never wrote the high C.

[ramirezenoc]

stunning!!! wow its soo beautiful!!! such an awesome expression of need towards God.. the huma Voice is such a beautiful instrument.

[heeshyboy]

stunning,beautiful ,dare i say divine?

[carolineleiden]

Imagine sitting there, on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday, already an emotional day, after dark, and then hearing this secret piece ornamented by the castrati of those days...

[pirouette5050]

@TheChantProject

Many thanks for this gift. Many times to look for this music miracle from the choir of st paul. I 'd the privilege of listenning them in London few years ago. We can hear this interpretation in few films and especially in a fabulous scene in the Hunger with Davie Bowie, Catherine Deneuve and Susan Surandon..thanks again to you

[whatsup7797]

i love this sooo much i just got back from london and paris about a month ago and i went inside of this church on good friday and it was so beautiful words cannot even describe how it was inside of the church it was the best thing about my trip besides the eiffel tower and i really would like to go back oneday it was so powerful when i walked inti the church it gave me the chills it was the most amazing beautiful greatest etc i have ever seen its so beautiful it makes tears come down ur face!!!

[ambodrona1]

il love jeremy budd 's voice .so pure

[ambodrona1]

i love jeremy's voice .it's so pure

[teaman9000]

The text of course stems from Psalm 51.

I think I'm correct in saying "...et a peccato meo munda me." means "...and cleanse me from my sin." This is where the trebles sing the top C.

Thank You Jesus that in the same way David cried out for forgiveness after he coverted his neighbour's wife Bathsheba, we can cry out to You, and You will forgive us through Your Blood. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

[McQuackor]

Absolutely breathtaking...

They couldn't pick a more suitable place to sing such a masterpiece

[84ulisse]

Esecuzione veramente splendida. Perfino la pronuncia del latino è praticamente perfetta. Bravi!

[danball7777777]

@TheChantProject

yeah but it's way better with the C

iv'e heard the closest we've got to the original, and trust me, the C's an improvement.

[hiroshi2020]

@MrConnor0123

Is it on the internet anywhere? The Metropolitan Cathedral Choir is stunning!