Austin Hall Library

Miserere Mei, Deus

Miserere mei, Deus ("Have mercy on me, O God") are the opening words of Psalm 51 and have led to it being traditionally referred to as the Miserere, which is the name it is often known by in musical settings. This 17th century version by composer Gregorio Allegri is one of the best-known settings of the Miserere. Listen to the solo when the Soprano hits the C above the staff. It is one of the most hauntingly moving moments in choral music.

Today begins the Triduum (the three days from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday) of Holy Week. It is a time of prayer and deep devotion, and there is no better musical piece than the Miserere to preface the three days that changed the world.    

For Prospective Opera Fans

I stumbled upon a jewel late last fall in the back corner of a local antique shop--David Ewen's 1955 edition of Encyclopedia of the Opera. Now available only on the secondary market, it is worth acquiring for one's library even if one has little appreciation for opera. I admit to a very inconsistent and uneducated appreciation. There is much I enjoy but there are some operas that remind me of fingernails on a blackboard.

Ewen's Encyclopedia is an inexpensive education on just about everything a novice would want to know about the opera. It is written in the traditional encyclopedic format, i.e., in alphabetical order. There are 25,000 entries including the stories of over 500 operas and discussions of some 650 of the most memorable arias, duets, and choruses. It also has definitions of the technical terms associated with opera, and even defines and explains the various types of opera.

For a highly readable and humorous introduction to the history of opera, add David W. Barber's, When the Fat Lady Sings: Opera History as it Ought to be Taught. Funny and easy to read, it is particularly good if you are not a natural opera lover but want to know something more about the subject. I don't know if opera history ought to be taught this way or not, but it would sure make it more interesting.