[ninenot]

From what I've heard (over the air) and heard (from friends who are knowledgeable and who have lived there) the Vatican choir is so bad that they could well have been one of the reasons for the Protestant revolt.

And they REALLY don't like anyone, regardless of pedigree, pointing out how to sing well, unless they are Italian and have come from the VatChoir's ranks.

Sort of an inbreeding thing, and it shows.

[Desdemona]

And they REALLY don't like anyone, regardless of pedigree, pointing out how to sing well, unless they are Italian and have come from the VatChoir's ranks.

That explains a lot.

[Romulus]

From what I've heard (over the air) and heard (from friends who are knowledgeable and who have lived there) the Vatican choir is so bad that they could well have been one of the reasons for the Protestant revolt.

The Capella Sistina has been gutted by the Pope's liturgist, Bishop Piero Marini, regarded in the Curia as one of the most arrogant and unpopular men in Rome. In the name of eliminating "incrustations" and of promoting inculturation he has largely banished traditional Catholic chant from Papal liturgies, in favor of showy media spectacles.

St. Mary Major’s is the only of the great Roman basilicas left that celebrates the liturgy according to the classical tradition of Gregorian chant and polyphony.

[AnAmericanMother]

Hmmmm. Do they have any recordings extant?

I heard them sing when I was in Rome back in the 60s, but (1) I don't really remember what I heard, and (2) I was too young to appreciate any nuances anyhow.