Miserere
tagStarted 1500Peak 1550–1700Last big hit still active
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Miserere settings are penitential and often acoustically dramatic, shaped by the psalm’s plea for mercy and purification. The sound may be starkly modal, imploringly dissonant, or richly polyphonic, and in famous examples the effect depends as much on suspended resonance and performance space as on harmonic movement.
History
The text of Psalm 51 inspired some of the most enduring music of repentance in the sacred canon, from Josquin and Allegri to modern settings by Pärt and MacMillan; the Miserere became especially associated with Holy Week, chapel acoustics, and the power of sacred music to turn supplication into sonic architecture.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Oxford Music Online
- Grove Music Online
- sacred choral notes from Hyperion, ECM, and Decca