The ‘Storia Della Musica Italiana’ of which this recording is a part was a lavishly presented set of 40 LPs, in four leather volumes each containing 10 discs presented together with a sumptuous booklet in a cardboard slipcase. The publication was compiled by Cesare Valabrega for RCA Italiana.
Founded in 1973 by Gavin Turner, the William Byrd Choir was the first outside choir (apart from the Sistine Chapel Choir itself) to record in the Sistine Chapel, with the BBC in June 1980. Their recording, which included Allegri’s Miserere alongside works by Palestrina was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 a month later. The recording was produced by Miserere scholar Hugh Keyte.