This page describes the objectives and scope of the Allegri Miserere Discography itself. You can find out more about miserere.org in general here.
Discography Objectives
The primary objective of the discography is to identify and catalogue all the unique performances of Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere that have been preserved as recordings, and to make this data available centrally for others to use. A wider set of objectives and opportunities includes:
- To highlight the diversity of original performances of Allegri’s Miserere and how they reflect changes in understanding of the work itself
- Exploring trends in performance practice and interpretation revealed through the recordings featured in the discography
- Insight into the hundreds of choirs who have recorded the work in different styles and forms over at least 70 years
- Supporting our own musicological research and related projects, and providing a comprehensive resource for others to use in their own research
To our knowledge, no similar comprehensive discography exists dedicated to Allegri’s Miserere, so this is very much an experiment to determine whether a resource of this nature will be of interest and value, and to which audiences. Beyond the music itself, the project has a set of technical objectives which are documented here.
We hope you find the discography interesting and useful, and welcome any feedback that you’d like to give, or contributions you might be able to make. Please feel free to get in touch.
Discography Scope
The scope of the discography will be tightly managed in order to ensure that the quality and consistency of data can be maintained. This is the primary reason a public mechanism such as discogs or musicbrainz was ruled out, as the data cannot be adequately controlled. There is a degree of subjectivity employed on the curator’s part, as will be obvious from the notes below describing decisions around scope. Eventually a list of excluded items may be provided for reference, however this is not a priority.
Original Releases
An “original release” is defined as a unique performance [of Allegri’s Miserere] issued as a recording for the first time either on a single medium or simultaneously on more than one medium e.g. LP & Cassette. All original releases that can be identified are in scope with a few exceptions detailed below.
Re-issues
Only significant reissues are included. A “reissue” is defined as an original Miserere recording that has been re-issued with a significant change or combination of changes e.g. packaging, medium, label, audio re-mastering or compilation. The performance of the Miserere must be exactly the same performance as the original release, taken from the same source material gathered during the recording session. Considering the famous King’s recording as an example, the following reissues qualify for inclusion:
- The release of the Miserere as a 45rpm EP one year later (new medium increasing the exposure of the recording)
- Inclusion in The World of King’s (notable compilation generating significant exposure for the work)
- Inclusion in the box set Festival of King’s (significant compilation of interest)
- Coupling with Palestrina’s Stabat Mater and subsequent release of that pairing on CD (new association)
- The re-issue of Evensong for Ash Wednesday in digitally remastered format on CD (new medium)
The rationale for including certain re-releases is that in their own right, they are likely to have had a significant impact on the ability for listeners to to appreciate the work for the first time or in a different way than the original release allowed. In addition, they will have increased or refreshed the awareness of the original performance amongst the community of choirs, conductors, and audiences who might be considering the work.
However we have to draw a line somewhere, as the volume of reissues of certain performances is excessive relative to the value of those reissues to the aims of the project. The way that many recordings have have been relicensed means that the association with the choir has been effectively removed or significantly downplayed. The following would not qualify for inclusion:
- Any “Top 50 Choral Classics” compilations or similar featuring the Miserere
- Reissues of reissues – where the same material is released again as a budget edition by one label or another, under different titles or couplings
- Transfers to another label unless that transfer was significant in its own right (e.g. the Tallis Scholars 1980 recording on the Classics for Pleasure label being re-issued by Gimell as a CD is considered to be significant)
- Reissues as individual tracks for online purchase, or in any form of online audio subscription services such as Spotify.
Existing Performances Freely Available Online
Where a choir or label has made the same performance from a recording publicly available online without requiring a purchase, this will typically be linked as a reference from the entry for the original recording.
Commercial Recordings Only Available Digitally
Recently we have started to see a limited number of commercial releases only available for sale in digital formats, without any corresponding physical medium such as a CD. These releases are in scope.
Original Performances Only Available Online
In time, original performances published exclusively and non-commercially on YouTube, SoundCloud or other online media platforms may be included, although may be listed separately from the main discography. This will only be considered when the primary discography data has been completed.
Reconstructed Performances
Performances that aim to recreate or reimagine historic performance practices will always be included – as they clearly aspire to increase our knowledge and understanding of the work and are based on detailed scholarly research.
Reduced Verses
Performances that omit certain verses that are performed by significant choirs and maintain the overall spirit of the work will be included, but tagged as having verses omitted. Early recordings included reduced verses as the performing editions themselves failed to include all the verses. More recently, the reduction is to allow inclusion alongside other works in a compilation without taking too much time on the disc. Very short arrangements may not be included.
Accompanied Performances
A small number of recorded performances feature a supporting accompaniment (usually provided by the organ) without significant intrusion or detriment to the singing, and will be included.
Augmented, Modified, “Re-mixed” or “Re-composed” Performances
Some augmented performances include a more free instrumental line, in addition to the choirs, which may accompany or be interspersed in sections during the performance. A good example is the interpretation by Vladimir Ivanoff, which added the cornett. In a later version the saxophone was substituted, reminiscent of Officium – Jan Garbarek’s collaboration with the Hilliard Ensemble. There are only a few examples, and they will be included if the editor feels they offer musical value in the spirit of the original.
There are a number of modern artists, particularly in the fields of electronic or experimental music that have taken and adapted Allegri’s Miserere as part of their work. These will almost certainly never be included (unless they are referenced in passing from the entry for the source). Another phenomenon is the solo artist, such as an opera singer, who adapts the Miserere in order to demonstrate their own vocal capabilities, and may include choral elements in the performance. These will sometimes be included for completeness. Almost all modified, “re-mixed” or “re-composed” performances, or those that borrow material from Allegri’s work to create new music will not be included. At some point, the editor may curate a list of examples, but in general, these fall so far short of the original intent of Allegri’s Miserere that they are not relevant.
Instrumental Transcriptions
Will not be included in the primary discography but will in time be featured in a separate listing of the most significant works or recordings, such as Liszt’s À la chapelle Sixtine – Miserere d’Allegri et Ave verum corpus de Mozart, S461ii or the Canadian Brass transcription featured here.
Film & TV Soundtracks
Will not be included in the main discography, but will in time be featured in a separate listing for interest and completeness, and may be referenced from the original entry for a particular performance.
Page last updated: 17 February 2025