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Allegri's Miserere mei was composed in 1638 for the sole and exclusive use of the Sistine Chapel during Tenebrae services. The Vatican was so protective of this piece that it became forbidden to transcribe it for use elsewhere. https://twitter.com/mjc0ughl4n/status/1361931473197150208
By the early 1700s, only three authorised copies of this piece existed outside the Vatican. These were in the possession of the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I; the King of Portugal, John V; and the Franciscan Friar, Padre Martini.
In 1770, a 14 year old Mozart was visiting the Vatican when he first heard the piece during the Wednesday service. Later that day, he transcribed it from memory. According to Mozart's own writings, he returned to the Sistine Chapel the following Friday to make minor corrections.
With the cat now out of the bag, the Vatican's ban was lifted and the piece became more widely available for performance throughout Europe. Indeed, Pope Clement XIV was so impressed by Mozart's feat that he awarded him with the Chivalric Order of the Golden Spur on 4th July 1770.
These days, the Miserere is one of the most frequently recorded pieces of a capella choral music from the late Renaissance era. Yet it still retains a most haunting and mystical quality.
