Good Friday in the Sistine Chapel

Tenebrae as it might have been celebrated 1638
Palestrina: Lamentations / Allegri: Miserere mei, Deus


A liturgical reconstruction of the Good Friday Tenebrae Service as it might have been celebrated in the Sistine Chapel in 1638. The polyphony includes Palestrina's Lamentations, Victoria's sublime Tenebrae Responsories and Allegri's Miserere mei, Deus. This was advertised as the first occasion in modern times that the Allegri - the most famous work of the Renaissance - would be performed from an edition based exclusively on the original sources held in the Sistine Library (as opposed to the modern "patchwork" edition typically performed nowadays by choirs).

This performance also aimed to reconstruct the dramatic circumstances of the original. The fifteen candles which were all that lit the Chapel during the service were gradually extinguished until, at the end, the Pope knelt before the altar in darkness while the Allegri was sung from memory.

This performance was part of the Easter in Rome series

Download souvenir brochure for this series including texts and translations for this performance (Adobe Acrobat PDF, 6782 Kb)
Read The Dominion's review of this performance (JPEG image, 139 Kb)
Read The Evening Post's review of this performance (JPEG image, 182 Kb)
Download pre-concert talk for this performance (Microsoft Word document, 37 Kb)
Download additional notes on the Allegri (Microsoft Word document, 24 Kb)

Programme

    Nocturn I

    Antiphon / Psalm 2 / Antiphon: chant
    Antiphon / Psalm 21 / Antiphon: chant
    Antiphon / Psalm 26 / Antiphon: chant
    Lamentations I: G P da Palestrina 1525?-1592
    Lamentations II: G P da Palestrina
    Lamentations III: Palestrina

    Nocturn II

    Antiphon / Psalm 37 / Antiphon: chant
    Antiphon / Psalm 39 / Antiphon: chant
    Antiphon / Psalm 53 / Antiphon: chant
    Tamquam ad latronem: Tenebrae Responsories: Tomas Luis de Victoria 1548?-1611
    Tenebrae factae sunt: Tenebrae Responsories: Victoria
    Animam meam dilectam: Tenebrae Responsories: Victoria

    Nocturn III

    Antiphon / Psalm 58 / Antiphon: chant
    Antiphon / Psalm 87 / Antiphon: chant
    Antiphon / Psalm 93 / Antiphon: chant
    Tradiderunt me in manus impiorum: Tenebrae Responsories: Victoria
    Jesum tradidit impius summis: Tenebrae Responsories: Victoria
    Caligaverunt oculi mei a fletu meo: Tenebrae Responsories: Victoria
    Psalm 51: Miserere mei, Deus: Gregori Allegri 1582-1652

5pm*, Good Friday 29 March 1991
Erskine Chapell
Avon Road, Island Bay, Wellington
$20 / $15
* pre-concert talk at 4.30pm

dir. Simon Ravens

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