This Week in Classical Music: November 28, 2022.Rome, yet again (Palestrina).In our previous entry, while discussing composers who had worked in Rome, we were moving
historically and made it all the way to one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.Palestrina, born in 1525, was not only a supremely talented composer, he also lived during a period of profound social and religious changes.The major one was the Reformation, which started in 1517 with Martin Luther publishing his 95 theses.By the time of Palestrina, it was in full swing and profoundly affecting the Catholic church.Another one was the Sack of Rome.It happened two years after Palestrina’s birth, in 1527, when Rome was pillaged by the renegade soldiers of the Emperor Charles V.As a result, the population of the city fell from 55,000 to just 10,000 (it would grow to about 100,000 by the end of the 16th century).In 1537, aged 12, Palestrina came to Rome and sung in the choir of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.He then returned to his native town of Palestrina but three years later, in 1540, moved back to Rome, this time to settle for the rest of his life.In 1551, Pope Julius III, who in his earlier life was the bishop of Palestrina, appointed him maestro di cappella of the Cappella Giulia, the second, after Capella Sistina, most important choir in the Vatican.During his life Palestrina held several major musical positions, serving as the maestro di cappella in the papal basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, in Santa Maria Maggiore, and later in his life, back to Capella Giulia.His first book of masses was published in 1554 and soon after he established himself as the most significant Italian composer of his generation.
The Council of Trent was called by Pope Paul III in response to the Reformation and lasted from 1545 to 1563.While the most important decision made by the bishops were doctrinal and liturgical, it affected church music as well.Two most important changes were as follows: secular themes for the music were prohibited, as many of the so-called “parody masses” written prior to that were based on secular songs, some with quite provocative lyrics.And the second one had to do with comprehension of the text: the words of the masses had to be understandable..That was a high order for the polyphonic style of masses, where different voices were sung in different rhythm and different registers.That often made the text practically incomprehensible.Palestrina is often considered the “savior” of the polyphonic mass: his Missa Papae Marcelli convinced Carlo Borromeo, one of the leading counter-Reformation cardinals, that the words of a polyphonic mass can be intelligible.Here are Sanctus and Benedictus from Missa Papae Marcelli, performed by the Tallis Scholars.
Palestrina wrote more than 100 masses and many more madrigals and motets.He was considered the ideal Catholic composer and his fame spread all over Europe, even to the Protestant countries.We have several pieces by Palestrina in our library and here are two of them.First, the Kyrie section of his mass Benedictus Es, published in 1593.As the recording of Missa Papae Marcelli, It’s performed by the Tallis Scholars.And here, performed by the same ensemble, is Palestrina’s Missa Nigra Sum.The whole mass runs for about 35 minutes.We think it’s worth your time.
Rome, Palestrina, 2022
This Week in Classical Music: November 28, 2022. Rome, yet again (Palestrina). In our previous entry, while discussing composers who had worked in Rome, we were moving
The Council of Trent was called by Pope Paul III in response to the Reformation and lasted from 1545 to 1563. While the most important decision made by the bishops were doctrinal and liturgical, it affected church music as well. Two most important changes were as follows: secular themes for the music were prohibited, as many of the so-called “parody masses” written prior to that were based on secular songs, some with quite provocative lyrics. And the second one had to do with comprehension of the text: the words of the masses had to be understandable.. That was a high order for the polyphonic style of masses, where different voices were sung in different rhythm and different registers. That often made the text practically incomprehensible. Palestrina is often considered the “savior” of the polyphonic mass: his Missa Papae Marcelli convinced Carlo Borromeo, one of the leading counter-Reformation cardinals, that the words of a polyphonic mass can be intelligible. Here are Sanctus and Benedictus from Missa Papae Marcelli, performed by the Tallis Scholars.
Palestrina wrote more than 100 masses and many more madrigals and motets. He was considered the ideal Catholic composer and his fame spread all over Europe, even to the Protestant countries. We have several pieces by Palestrina in our library and here are two of them. First, the Kyrie section of his mass Benedictus Es, published in 1593. As the recording of Missa Papae Marcelli, It’s performed by the Tallis Scholars. And here, performed by the same ensemble, is Palestrina’s Missa Nigra Sum. The whole mass runs for about 35 minutes. We think it’s worth your time.