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Overview of musical traditions in the Vatican
As the seat of the
Papacy
, the Vatican City and its predecessor, the
Papal States
, has played an important role in the development of
Christian music
. They perform
chants
of ancient origin, such as
Gregorian chants
, as well as modern
polyphonic
music. The
papal choir
is a well-known institution that dates back more than four hundred years. Singers were originally from northern Europe, but began arriving more from Spain and Italy in the 16th century. At this time, church authorities became concerned about the words of liturgical texts being drowned out by the traditional melodies. As a result, reformers like
Palestrina
revised the rules behind Gregorian chanting and Germanium, which were printed by the
Medici Press
in Rome; these reforms continued to be followed to the present day. A traditional musical instrument was the
pipe organ
. After the end of the Papal States, the Popes' ability to sponsor composers and musicians waned. However, it did not end entirely nor did interest in the subject.
Pope Pius X
and
Pope Pius XII
both wrote on the subject. In modern times,
John Harbison
[1]
and
Gilbert Levine
[2]
have composed or conducted for the Vatican. Although not of the Vatican, a Christmas concert where popular musicians performed had been held at the Vatican for thirteen years until ending in 2006. Notable performers at it included
Jose Feliciano
,
Thelma Houston
,
Dionne Warwick
,
Gloria Gaynor
, and
B. B. King
. The concert created controversy in 2003 due to statements by
Lauryn Hill
who used the opportunity to criticize the Vatican over
Roman Catholic sex abuse cases
.
[3]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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Sovereign states
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States with limited
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Dependencies and
other entities
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