Sistine Chapel Choir

The Sistine Chapel Choir in Rome is a veritable icon of Catholic musical tradition, with a history beginning in the first centuries of Christianity. The group assumed its current form in the 1470s, and is named for Pope Sixtus VI. In the 1480s the size of the choir was fixed at 24 singers and has remained fairly consistent down through the centuries, as has its repertory. The revolution wrought by recordings on the musical world did not reach the Sistine Chapel until the 21st century. A live recording appeared in 2013, but it was not until 2015 that the Sistine Chapel Choir released Cantate Domino, its debut album recorded in the chapel itself. ~ James Manheim