Ash Wednesday: Miserere Mei Deus

A lovely version of Allegri's very famous Miserere Mei Deus below, sung by "The Sixteen." (Love that name!) Here's the blurb from the YouTube page:

This piece is Psalm 51, but first set to music by Allegri around 1630. It is one of the finest and most popular examples of renaissance polyphony. It is often heard in Churches of the apostolic Christian tradition on Ash Wednesday, immediately following Shrove (or pancake) Tuesday, marking Christ's return to Jerusalem. Beautifully performed here by The Sixteen, listen out for the simplicity, humility and reverence.

Here's Psalm 51 in its entirety, in Latin first (from CPDL) and then in English, from the Coverdale (1662) Psalter:

Miserére mei, Deus: secúndum magnam misericórdiam tuam.
Et secúndum multitúdinem miseratiónum tuárum: dele iniquitátem meam.
Ámplius lava me ab iniquitáte mea: et a peccáto meo munda me.
Quóniam iniquitátem meam ego cognósco: et peccátum meum contra me est semper.
Tibi soli peccávi, et malum coram te feci: ut justificéris in sermónibus tuis, et vincas cum judicáris.
Ecce enim in iniquitátibus concéptus sum: et in peccátis concépit me mater mea.
Ecce enim veritátem dilexísti: incérta et occúlta sapiéntiæ tuæ manifestásti mihi.
Aspérges me hyssópo, et mundábor: lavábis me, et super nivem dealbábor.
Audítui meo dabis gáudium et lætítiam: et exsultábunt ossa humiliáta.
Avérte fáciem tuam a peccátis meis: et omnes iniquitátes meas dele.
Cor mundum crea in me, Deus: et spíritum rectum ínnova in viscéribus meis.
Ne projícias me a fácie tua: et spíritum sanctum tuum ne áuferas a me.
Redde mihi lætítiam salutáris tui: et spíritu principáli confírma me.
Docébo iníquos vias tuas: et ímpii ad te converténtur.
Líbera me de sangúinibus, Deus, Deus salútis meæ: et exsultábit lingua mea justítiam tuam.
Dómine, lábia mea apéries: et os meum annuntiábit laudem tuam.
Quóniam si voluísses sacrifícium, dedíssem utique: holocáustis non delectáberis.
Sacrifícium Deo spíritus contribulátus: cor contrítum et humiliátum, Deus, non despícies.
Benígne fac, Dómine, in bona voluntáte tua Sion: ut ædificéntur muri Jerúsalem.
Tunc acceptábis sacrifícium justítiæ, oblatiónes et holocáusta: tunc impónent super altáre tuum vítulos.

Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness *
according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences.
Wash me throughly from my wickedness *
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my faults *
and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight *
that thou mightest be justified in thy saying, and clear when thou art judged.
Behold, I was shapen in wickedness *
and in sin hath my mother conceived me.
But lo, thou requirest truth in the inward parts *
and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly.
Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean *
thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness *
that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Turn thy face from my sins *
and put out all my misdeeds.
Make me a clean heart, O God *
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence *
and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
O give me the comfort of thy help again *
and stablish me with thy free Spirit.
Then shall I teach thy ways unto the wicked *
and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou that art the God of my health *
and my tongue shall sing of thy righteousness.
Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord *
and my mouth shall shew thy praise.
For thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it thee *
but thou delightest not in burnt-offerings.
The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit *
a broken and contrite heart, O God, shalt thou not despise.
O be favourable and gracious unto Sion *
build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, with the burnt-offerings and oblations *
then shall they offer young bullocks upon thine altar.

What's interesting to me about this piece is that it uses the Tonus Peregrinus for the plainchant melody!  I'm not aware of another sung alternatim with the plainchant/polyphony structure that uses the TP.  Something else to keep in mind is that Allegri wrote this piece for use during Holy Week - and specifically, I believe, for services of Tenebrae on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of that week.  (Tenebrae ends with Psalm 51 and its plea for forgiveness after the reading of the Lamentations.)

There's a long article about this piece at "Ancient Groove Music," a site I've just discovered.  We'll see, and we'll let you know!

The traditional Gradual for Ash Wednesday is also Miserere Mei Deus - this one from Psalm 57:1-4 below. Here's the mp3 from the Brazilian Benedictines, and the chant score:

1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me, for my soul trusteth in thee *
and under the shadow of thy wings shall be my refuge, until this tyranny be over-past.
2 I will call unto the most high God *
even unto the God that shall perform the cause which I have in hand.
3 He shall send from heaven *
and save me from the reproof of him that would eat me up.
4 God shall send forth his mercy and truth *
my soul is among lions.
5 And I lie even among the children of men, that are set on fire *
whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
6 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens *
and thy glory above all the earth.
7 They have laid a net for my feet, and pressed down my soul *
they have digged a pit before me, and are fallen into the midst of it themselves.
8 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed *
I will sing, and give praise.
9 Awake up, my glory; awake, lute and harp *
I myself will awake right early.
10 I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the people *
and I will sing unto thee among the nations.
11 For the greatness of thy mercy reacheth unto the heavens *
and thy truth unto the clouds.
12 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens *
and thy glory above all the earth.