From 1591 to 1596 Allegri was employed in a church choir in Rome. In 1601 he became a tenor in the choir. He studied music and composing with the director of the choir, G. B. Nannio. He moved around to a number of different churches in Rome, before joining the choir at the Vatican in 1629. This was the choir that performed in the Sistine Chapel for the pope. he was made the director of the choir in 1650. Pope Urban VIII had rewritten some of the texts used in the religious services. Allegri was given the job of editing Giovanni da Palestrina's music so that it would fit with the new words. He was seen as an expert in the old style, even though some of his music was written in the new baroque style.