Music from the Sistine Chapel - Sixteen, Harry Christophers

Last Friday I had the supreme pleasure of attending a concert by the Sixteen, featuring some of the most beautiful traditional music of the Sistine Chapel of the 16th and 17th Centuries . The concert took place in the sumptuous surroundings of Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral which looks more spectacular every time I see it. I did have one or two concerns about the accoustics of the Cathedral. In the past I have attended services there and singing has been strained; the time elapsed for the sound to reach those furthest from its source spoiled the overall sound quality. My fears were, however, unfounded. The evening started with an informative introductory talk by the founder of the Sixteen, director Harry Christophers and one of the singers. We learned about the great riches of music from this tradition by Allegri, Palestrina and Anerio. We also learned such interesting snippets as the fact that castrati were still used in the Sistine Chapel choir until the early 20th century when Pope Pius X decreed that only 'whole men' should sing in the choir, with high vocal parts being taken by boys. There was much grimacing and leg crossing from 'whole' men in the audience at this point!

The Sixteen actually consists of 25 singers, 18 of whom perform in each concert. All of the singers are of soloist standard. In some cases this can be dangerous - think of the Three Tenors who sing competitively against each other and can sound quite cacophonous as a result. The Sixteen, however, create a quite perfect and beautiful harmony. The spacious area beneath the 'crown of thorns' in the Cathedral structure which contains the altar provides a perfect stage for this kind of performance. Christophers had clearly spent some time familiarising himself with the less than conventional chuch layout and was able to create some spellbinding accoustic effects by creative positioning of the singers. The highlight of the evening was, of course, Allegri's Miserere which was originally used in the Tenebrae service at the Sistine Chapel as the candles were extinguished - now there's an idea! The control of the voices in this piece, particularly those mesmeric top Cs, was phenomenal. But this was not just about the Miserere. The other pieces were equally spellbinding and the performances flawless. It was a privilege to attend.

In his talk, Harry Christophers said that in the UK there is a great tradition of choirs performing these pieces, indeed it is choral groups such as the Sixteen who take the traditional music back to its origins in the great cathedrals of Europe. The once great reputation of the European cathedral choirs has been in decline for some time. This concert only skimmed the surface of the magnificent treasury of sacred music that the Catholic church has given the world. I wouldn't describe myself as a great traditionalist, indeed I am sure many would describe me as a very wet liberal (if you are of a mind to use political terms where matters of faith are concerned!) but I do believe that we do ourselves and God a great disservice if we neglect this wonderful music which takes our liturgy to another level. Let us restore it to its rightful place in our repertoire.