PRODIGIUM VATICANUM PROVOCANS
At the age of 14, the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart achieved a feat that defied the Church's prohibitions.
Allegri's famous "Miserere", a 17th-century sacred work, was kept secret by the Vatican. No one was allowed to transcribe or perform it outside the Sistine Chapel, on pain of excommunication.
But during Holy Week in Rome in 1770, Mozart attended services and, thanks to his prodigious memory, managed to transcribe the entire "Miserere" just by listening to it !
On his return home, the child prodigy transcribed the 20 minutes of this complex work into a score, defying papal prohibition. An astounding feat for a 14-year-old boy !
This act of precocious genius won admiration and lifted the ban on the "Miserere", eclipsing the threat of excommunication by the power of his extraordinary talent.
