Allegri: Miserere - Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli (Remastered)

This recording has seamless thematic continuity; both works are brilliant examples of Renaissance music, both were written by native Roman composers, and both were debuted in the Sistine Chapel. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) was among the finest early practitioners of polyphony, a technique using many voices singing in harmony, which was more intricate than the church music that preceded it. But the “Miserere” of Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652) is among the most popular pieces of Renaissance polyphony. It was rarely performed outside the Sistine Chapel until a 14-year-old Mozart transcribed it from memory and helped spread its fame. The Tallis Scholars do justice to both works, performing them with exquisite clarity, soaring high notes and peaceful harmonies.