CJ Replay: The Papal Choir

(An excerpt from the Choral Journal  “Research Reports” column on music in the Renaissance by Richard Cox)

 

       The author has examined a number of seventeenth-century documents relating to the use of the choir in the Papal Chapel. The choir roster included about 24 singers, plus several more on roll but officially retired. Of these, records show that half of each section were expected tosing on each weekday but that the full choir appeared on Sundays and feast days. A number of entries indicate that at various times only one voice on a part was used, the singers involved being rotated on the basis of seniority. At the same time, the statement, “We must conclude that singers who had known Palestrina, at least at the end of his life, sang his music using only one singer to each part. There is no indication that Palestrina, or any other composer of that period, wanted his music performed in any other way” seems strong for the evidence presented. Most of the musical passages specifically cited in the sources appear to be scored for reduced voices (for example, a "Benedictus" a3 in a Mass a5), where soloists would seem appropriate even if the full choir is used in fully-scored passages. On the other hand, there does seem to be evidence, presented in the opening paragraph of the article that parish churches in Rome at this time had choirs consisting of only ten singers who were often obliged to sing one voice to a part. Whether or not one accepts Lionnet's principal conclusions, there are many significant facts unearthed in the supporting documents, including catalogs of composers and works performed during the period in question.