I feel VERY strongly that the sopranos should have received credit - by name. The director is not the one singing the note.

The Byrd Ensemble soprano is the best of all the examples here. Easy approach, not forced, tight, over-opened or covered. She's able to bloom the note and not just hit it. And she's in tune for the length of the C. However, I agree with some others in the comments, the best by far is Voces8.

5:18 Coro Iride….just casually hitting the D instead of the C …pitched the whole piece even higher. Insane 😅

Everyone of these artists has spent time and tears to perfect this C. To say that one is better than the other is really difficult.

Josephine Stephenson with Tenebrae: her breath control and intonation are unmatched.

I am a Soprano who does the top C. For those wondering how intense it is for us - we need to watch what we eat and do a week before the performance to our throat and bodies healthy. What is more is what is we can't eat things that cause stomachache or phlegm. During the performance, because of the light, we sweat a lot because of the intensity. My armpits normally sweat a lot during the singing so I need to wear arm guards. It is a job that needs plenty of discipline and it isn't as heavenly as what most think.

My vote is for Tenebrae and Josephine Stephenson. Her voice gave me goosebumps. The song is absolutely beautiful.

They are all unbelievable. How can anyone say just one is the best. All are fabulous

For me, the version by Tenebrae's Josephine Stephenson is the best. So clean and clear. But I find it difficult to rate because the recordings have such different qualities and there are so many great singers. also Coro Pride Fabrizio Barchi was incredibly light and finely sung and even higher.

Tenebrae - Josephine Stephenson. She looks exactly like the note. Small but powerful. love it.

1) Tenebrae-Josephine Stephenson 2) Sixteen-2010 Elin Manahan-Thomas 3) Sixteen 2021 Victoria Metyard 4) Sixteen evolution Victoria Metyard & Alexandra Kidgell. (at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral) Historically the version that probably 1st brought this piece to public attention was King's College solo treble Roy Goodman (in English). All fine voices! 😂

The boy from Kings College Cambridge who pretended to inhale the helium to hit it sings it the best I have ever heard. He blows these women out of the water truly

7:17. The transition between G and C touches my soul. Still, Nigel Short's perfect production and Josephine Stephenson's beautiful voice remain my personal favorites.

Nigel Short's video has more than 16M views already... He helped many young people hearing this masterpiece

I'm a little disappointed that there was no attempt to list all the Sopranos singing these beautiful performances - only the groups and conductors. But what a treat to see them all together in one place, so I appreciate the video! I must say, they're all wonderful, but the New College, Oxford performance has a certain haunt to it that grabbed me just a little more. Not shown - Voces 8 Andrea Haines also does this line incredibly.

These are all amazing singers, some better (cleaner) than others and it is also a matter of taste, but I'm choosing Josephine Stephenson with Tenebrae (0:25). I have to add that I was also pleasantly surprised by the soprano of the Byrd Ensemble (1:48).

I actually like it better when Josephine from Tenebrae hits the top C the second time, which you don't hear here 🔥

My vote goes to Tenebrae. All voices and their perfect Latin pronunciation.

Tenebrae with Josephine Stepherson is my favourite.

Definitely the Tenebrae version is the best. Also for the perfect pronunciation of Latin.

For some reason the Clare College of Cambridge version reaches my soul. Those notes are heavenly.. . I am including it (as far as writing is possible) in my new novel "The Tudor Rose" sung by one of the characters of my work...

My dream is for Andrea Haines and Josephine Stephenson to have a duet together.

La mejor de todas *Tenebrae conducted by Nigel Short*, INSUPERABLE voz de *Josephine Stephenson*

Answering the question is like picking a “favourite” from among your children. There is so much sublime singing here and I find it hard not to lean towards the choirs I know and love. The Byrd Ensemble recording gives me the most goosebumps but I think I prefer the version by Voces8 (which is missing from this selection).

Honestly all of these versions give me those chills you get when you hear good tunes.

Tenebrae hands down. Josephine Stephenson's voice is ethereal and it moves me to tears each time I hear it. Breathtakingly beautiful.

The singer in the Pueri et Puellae Cantores sings the top C phrase softly and sublimely. She even looks like a renaissance angel. They're all wonderful

The Ars Nova was about a half step lower so it was a B instead of a C. As a matter of fact a few others were lower as well. Tenebrae, Byrd singers, and the King’s College excerpt seem to convey the vocal tone that most ensembles are shooting for regarding the high C. At @5:25 the girl was sustaining a high D. Enjoyed all of them.

La version de Tenebrae ! Et la prononciation du latin est impeccable !

From 5:20 is a top D! Creds to the soloist

Tallis Scholars, 1994 … this is from their Live in Rome recording. They were on fire that night. Sometimes everything is perfect, the energy, the acoustic, the singing, and depth of feeling.

The Sixteen. It's fabulous live too. Heard them in Sheffield (one of the cathedrals). Absolutely divine. Sent shivers down my spine. 💖💖💖

Definitely Tenebrae. The sheer peace one feels on listening to this is beyond compare. The troubles of the world fade away, as long as this beautiful rendition lasts. So play it again when you need to. And weep if you want...for the loveliness of the sound this choir brings.

I wonder if you’ve heard of Voces 8. Andrea is truly unbelievable in this song and many others. There is a reason she is called the queen of high notes. Impeccable tone from all members that support the high C, plus in one breath. Not saying she can hit the highest of anyone, but her sound quality while up there is so pure. If I had to choose from this set only, I’d choose Askel Rikkvin & Nordstrom’s Church Choir around 2:16.

The Byrd Ensemble gave me chills. The Sixteen brought tears to my eyes.

I'm a contralto so no C for me. But that line has been sending shivers down my spine since I first heard the piece in 1985!

I wasn't expecting so much choice, but i think Byrd for me as well

Seems strange to me now that we can so easily now get to pick and choose between 'best' versions. I sang this once as a chorister and later owned it for many years on cassette before the internet and streaming brought so many options. Once upon a time, to hear this performed at all was a rare, rare privilege!.

Reading the comments I am struck how few seem to appreciate the purity of tone of the boy sopranos and their unforced natural descending scale without effort. This is a simple prayer and the simplicity and unforced purity of a good boy soprano gives the piece an ethereal quality that feels so natural. The others don’t feel right, let alone those that try vibrato!

I return again and again to Tenebrae and the joy never diminishes. So grateful for the composer, conductor and singer. Life affirming really. Not to diminish the rest.

I have listened several times to this and I wholeheartedly agree with the person who said that the best one they ever heard was VOCES8

I definitely think the soprano on 4:00 did so amazing. Amazing clear note and transition.

In my opinion, the version by Tenebrae under the direction of Nigel Short is the best. The soprano has an absolutely clear, pure voice at the top C. The Tenebrae choir is for me one of the best, if not the best choir in the world. Best regards from Switzerland.

Andrea Haines from Voces8 is the Goddess of the light high c's!

Once I produced a B flat during an audition (I am a baritone). I wasn't sure where I was so I asked and the conductor confirmed it was that high. He said "you clearly have it, but you may not want to use it." I think the same applies to some of the otherwise excellent sopranos here. If you have to look like you are trying to swallow a toad, if you are bending your knees before hitting the note, if the vowel changes from o to a, then you have it, but you should not use it. Some of the sopranos in these clips look like they don't even know they are going up to a C. Singing is not weightlifting, it should be mostly effortless. Thanks for putting together this collage, very instructive. I was surprised by how different the pitch was.

Byrd Ensemble! At least for this video. Who knows how many great renditions are out there...

Tenebrae - Nigel Short.. przecudowane ! excellent! heavenly!

Josephine Stevenson with Tenebrae.

Every single one of those voices arr an Almighty gift, , Aksel and the Sixteen are epic but just behind Nigel shorts 5 minute 30 seconds of ancient audible bliss.

The sixteen were the first choir i heard sing this it called out to me and I've returned x Thankyou . Since then everyone ive heard are just as good x

I think my favorite will always be Stephen Cleoberry. He was the first I ever heard sing that solo.

The effortlessness of Tenebrae's Josephine Stephenson is second to none. All these girls have good voices but a great singer always comes across when there is no strain, no effort and faultless. It is a wonderful piece of music of this genre to which I can listen to for ages and never tire of its beauty.

Tenebrae, Byrd Ensemble, and King's College do it for me here. See also Voces8's Haines.

Josephine stephenson est incroyable : pureté totale du son, dynamique et tenue parfaite dans l'aigu. Prodigieux !

Nigel Short all the way. Always gives me chills.

I still love Roy Goodman, with Kings College Cambridge. Sir David Willcocks

To my mind this has remained the most ethereal soprano interpretation….simply angelic. Thank you to all the wonderfully gifted singers and Nigel Short

There are too many variables to judge fairly - room acoustics, recording engineer, mic placement, etc. I think it's wonderful to hear so many versions. It wasn't until I heard Tenebrae's Josephine Stephenson that I believed a woman could sing this as clearly and cleanly as a boy. (Maybe better!)

3:09 The lady on the right in the sixteen - harry christophers 2010 the way the high note has a tremelo it sounds absolutely madrigal. I am flush with goosebumps, agog. the other equally beautiful but share the stock standard and are all in all mundane in delivery. i find this one to be the most exceptional of all.

So many beautiful versions, all admirable.

At 2:18 what I find absolutely amazing is that the second soprano's C (an octave below the first soprano) is so rich in overtones that you can clearly hear another high C right before the first soprano's and then it carries on for the whole phrase.

Although singing like this has its sacrifices...you don't know how much I envy you. But even more, I admire them.

I clearly loved both Copenhagen and William Byrd singers. But for me, the ones that knocked it out of the park were the Tallis Scholars! They recently sang the Vittorio Requiem in my church in Texas, and I am still absolutely mesmerized by what I heard that night! I have never heard Spanish polyphony so flawless as I did from them.

pour moi toutes les versions sont merveilleuses car ils et elles chantent tous comme des anges

Shivers down my spine and tears in my eyes. It truly is amazing what sound can do to the body.

En el coro Iride está un tono por encima llega a un re 😱

Amazing gifts straight from the Heavens .

Tenebrae - Josephine 🙌 the harmony the created... beautifully aligned

Byrd Ensemble. Super intoniert, klanglich sehr gut abgestimmt und vor allem die Art wie alle gemeisam die cescendo und decrescendo zelibrieren, einfach großartig!!!

Favourite? All so good. Impossible to pick a favourite.

Tallis and Tenebrae are close, but win goes to Tenebrae. The entire ensemble destroys this song( in a good way). Every part was sung perfectly to help Josephine sound even better, and her performance was stellar. Love the emotion she puts into it!

Marian Consort, 5:55

My favorite ones are definitly the ones from nigel short, 02:45 and 03:10, something about the vibrato the lady brings in just sounds to beautiful, also she sings it right out and with more power, shes not hiding and thats what makes it for me. Tennebrae as a whole and the singers at called 3 minute mark are on one and the same step for me.

I used to listen to Tenebrae's version but The Sixteen's is incredible and I find it a bit more natural

Todas son magistrales ,pero La intérprete de Nigel , me impacta porque hace que no solo sea una voz hermosa , sino que lo lleva al nivel de súplica ,lamento , y eso es lo que le falta a otras, ese ingrediente , porque de eso se trata una súplica darse cuenta de su miseria y elevarla a lo alto . No es solo armonía es un sentimiento.

Most of the versions are really brilliant, I choosed three of them : The Choir of Clare College, Josephine Stephenson with Nigel Short and The Byrd Ensemble, in that order .. those versions are astounding

I don't know why because all these examples are beautiful but I'm always drawn back to The Sixteen. It is as though the angels have come down to earth to sing. It's absolutely magnificent.

This was just fantastic. I suffer from very poor memory and retention so by the time I switch to a new recording, even if I queue them all up in sequence, I’ve forgotten what I heard. Now I can listen back to back to a long list. It’s fascinating the interpretation of this short section in so many aspects. Thank you for compiling.

Great compilation thanks ! They deserve several listenings to choose :) !

We needed them all...Blessings!

The stunning vocal blend of Voces 8 and the exquisite voice of Andrea Haines is the best, imo, despite the fact that Voces 8 is not included in this wonderful compilation of this marvelous masterpiece. I loved all the selections and bravo to all the singers included in it. But what Andrea Haines is able to do is subdue and blend her thrilling tones into the tapestry of the group sound so that her high climactic ethereal note and descent is an unforced part of the whole group sound and not punched as a separate high note. Just my opinion.

Im a countertenor and the high C is my favorite part of the entire Miserere. 😂 Nwarly wvery night before bed i sing the top soprano line. It's soothing to my spirit each time I sing it.

The bird ensemble is so light and blended and balanced. So beautiful and truly surprised me. Even the part where she changes notes was executed so smoothly and relaxed. Tickled my brain frrr

Well, the Byrd Ensemble, Clare College and Cappella Novohispana brought tears to my eyes so I'm gonna say those ones. And I'll throw in Coro "Iride" for being absolute madlads and singing it in D.

They're all beautiful. The Tallis Scholars was the first version I ever heard and probably for that reason remains my favourite.

Appreciate the effort for making this compilation. --- The Marian Consort have an interesting video on their KZfaq channel, titled "how Allegri's Miserere should really sound", where the evolution of the work (the section including this famous "top C", in particular) is explained in comparison --from Allegri's original version to 20th century. After all, the "top C" is supposed to be the result of a simple _mistake._

The acoustics of The Sixteen is spine-tingling!

I love Vitamin C in the choral sense and for me the Tenebrae gave me the best clean, clear dosage. I love this piece- in it's simple first form and this the later version, it was, when I was a singer in a rock/blues band that the drummer Nigel Silk (RIP) introduced me to this music loved it and other classical ever since. XpeaceX

They're all beautiful. I didn't previously understand that there could be such variation yet they are very different renditions of the same piece. They're all fantastic.

i LOVE this...ALWAYS get chills. to me is it so poignant, sad.

All of the voices are angelic

Magnificent…thank you for the compilation. I get goosebumps on Josephine❤Tenebrae

I missed VOCES8..they are the best to me, but appreciate the others, the music itself is transcendent. VOCES8 doing with only the internal direction makes a big difference from these with a director standing in front of the group.

My vote is for the Byrd Ensemble's rendition 1:42, but I am very biased. :)

Of these groups, I prefer the Tallis Scholars version to the others. Very much in keeping with the intent of the music. As far as other versions, I’m a big fan of the Voces 8 version.

Actully they are all amazing... just WOW...

They are incredibly beautiful. ❤

la mejor interpretacion en todas sus fases la mejor Tenebrae

Their voices are all very beautiful They all clearly put in the work

1:55 amazing. 3:19 delicious. 6:00 sweet. 7:00 sharp and nice. The last one is just beautiful because its the evolution of the miserere