Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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SISTINE CHOIR SISTINE CHOIR 475
way of compensation, they were invested with
all which were not inseparable from the status
of a Bishop ; and these were stUl further increased,
by Pope Clement XIII., in the Bull
'Cum retinendi,' August 31, 1762. It was
ultimately an-anged that the election should
take place annually, and this custom has ever
since been strictly observed. The first Maestro
so chosen was Giovanni Antonio Merlo, who
served during the year 1587. Since his time,
the election has always been fixed for Dec.
28 ; and for very many years it has been the
iavariable custom to elect the principal bass.
The Flemish singers, having once obtained a
recognised position in the choir, soon began to
exercise an irresistible influence over it, and,
throughit, over every other choir in Christendom.
entire sheets of parchment, of which a large
collection, richly illuminated and magnificently
bound, is still preserved among the Archives
of the Sistine Chapel, though a vast number
were destroyed in the conflagration which ensued
on the invsision of Rome by Charles V. in 1527.
In the year 1565 Pope Pins IT. conferred
upon Palestrina the title of Composer to the
Pontifical Chapel, with an honorarium of three
scudi and thirty baiocchi per month. The ofiice
was renewed, after Palestrina's death, in favour
of Felice Anerio, but was never conferred on
1 Mendelssohn, In one of his letters, gives an amosing description
of one of these enormous books, which he saw carried in front of
Baini, as he walked, in procession, up the nave of S. Peter's.
any other member of the college. The most
famous musicians who sang in the choii", after
the expulsion of Palestrina in 1555, were Giov.
Maria Nanini, admitted in 1577, Luca Marenzio
(1594), Ruggiero GiovaneUi (1599), and Gregorio
AUegri (1629-52). Adami also mentions
Vittoria, whose name, however, is not to be
found in any oflicial register. Among more
modern Maestri the three most notable were,
Tommaso Bai, who held the office of Maestro
in 1714 ; the Cavaliere Giuseppe Santarelli
Dr. Burney's friend—who entered the choir as
an artificial soprano singer in 1749, and died
in 1790 ; and the Abbate Baini, who was
received into the college in 1795, became
Maestro in 1817, and died in 1844. By special
favour of Pope Gregory XVI., Baini retained his
office for life—an honour to which, as the
greatest ecclesiastical musician of the 19th
century, he was most justly entitled ; but no
Among the first of whom we have any certain
account, was GrUglielmo Dufay, the founder of
the older Flemish school, whose name is mentioned
in the archives of the Chapel as early later Maestro has enjoyed the same privilege.
as 1380, three years only after the formal The two settings of the 'Miserere' by Bai
settlement of the college in Rome ; whence it and Baini, which for many years past have
has been conjectured that he first sang at been used alternately with that of AUegri, are
Avignon, and afterwards accompanied Pope the only works added to the repertory of the
Gregory XI. to Italy. Dufay died in 1432, chapel since the death of the last-named
leaving many talented pupils.
Maestro. Indeed, neither the constitution nor
The number of singers, which at Avignon the habits of the college have, since Palestrina,
undergone any important change—except,
had been limited to twelve, was in the 16th
century increased to twenty-four, and not very perhaps, in one particular, to be mentioned
long afterwards raised to thirty -two, which presently ; and hence it is that its performances
figure still represents the normal strength of
are so infinitely valuable, as traditional
the Choir, though the assistance of additional
ripieni is sometimes permitted on extraordinary
indices of the style of singing cultivated at the
period which produced the Missa Papae MarcelU,'
'
occasions. After the formal admission of the
the ' Improperia, ' and the 'Lamentations.'
'
Netherlanders the compositions sung in the Except for these traditions, the works of Palestrina
Papal Chapel were almost entirely supplied by
would be to us a dead letter ;
under their
the Cappellani Cantori themselves. The custom safe guidance we feel no more doubt as to the
was, when any member of the college had produced
tempi of the Missa ' brevis ' than we do con-
a mass or other great work, to have it cerning those of the ' Sinfonia Eroica.'
roughly written out, and rehearsed by the entire The one point in which a change has taken
body of singers, who afterwards decided whether place is, the selection of voices ; and it is necessary
or not it was worthy of their acceptance. If
to remark, that, as the change did not take
the votes were in its favour, the original autograph
place until seven years after Palestrina's death,
was placed in the hands of the Scrittori the idea that we cannot sing his music, in
—of whom four were usually kept in full employment—
and by them copied, in stencilled of the necessary voices, is altogether untenable.
England, as he intended it to be sung, for lack
notes large enough to be read by the entire In early times, as we have already seen, the
choir at once, into huge part-books,^ formed of chapel was supplied with Soprani, and in all
probability with Contralti also, by means of the
Orphanotropia or Scholae Cantorum, exactly as
English cathedrals are now supplied by means
of the Choristers' Schools. That this plan was
continued until quite late in the 16th century
is sufficiently proved by the fact that, between
1561 and 1571, Palestrina held the joint offices
of Maestro di OappeUa and Maestro dei FanciuUi
di Coro at the Church of St. Maria Maggiore,
while, between 1539 and 1553 the post of
Maestro de' Putti, at the Cappella Giulia, was
successively filled by Areadelt, Rubino, Basso,
Ferrabosco, and Roselli. During the latter half
of the 16th century, however, these youthful