palestrina music
Giovanni Palestrina, an Italian composer of the Renaissance, was born in February 3rd 1525/26 in Palestrina and died in February 2nd 1594 in Rome.
As a child he moved Rome. By the age of 12 he was one of the choirboys at the basilica of Sta. Maria Maggiore, where he studied music between 1537 and 1539. In 1544, when he was 19 years old, he went back to his native town where he was made the organist of the cathedral, St. Agapito. Three years(1547) later he got married and had three boys. In 1551, the bishop of the cathedral St Agapito became Pope Julius III. Pope Julius III admired Palestrina’ music so much that when he became Pope he took him to Rome where he made him maestro di cappella at the Julian Chapel. Before he was 30 years old Palestrina published his first book of masses in 1554, dedicated to Julius III. This was the first collection of masses ever published in Rome by and Italian composer. SLIDE #3: (Play Missa Gabriel Archangelus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpTaOULyOHM ) Palestrina is considered to be the “Savior of Church Music”. After the death of Pope Julius III in 1555, Pope Marcelli’s reigned for about three weeks, in which he attempted ban polyphonic treatment of text in sacred music, stating that the words should be intelligible to the listener. So, Palestrina wrote Missa Papae Marcelli to persuade him that the style of music should remain unchanged. SLIDE #4: Play Pope Marcellus Mass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wVaD2_RmO8
When Pope Marcelli died, Palestrina had to leave Julian Chapel because his successor, Pope Paul IV, strictly enforced the celibacy rule. However in 1571, he returned to Julian Chapel and retoked his possition and stayed there until his death
Palestrina had a vast influence on the development of Roman Catholic Church music, he is considered the most famous 16th century representative of it; and his work can be seen as a summation of Renaissance polyphony (What is polyphony). He used the technique cantus firmus,
As a child he moved Rome. By the age of 12 he was one of the choirboys at the basilica of Sta. Maria Maggiore, where he studied music between 1537 and 1539. In 1544, when he was 19 years old, he went back to his native town where he was made the organist of the cathedral, St. Agapito. Three years(1547) later he got married and had three boys. In 1551, the bishop of the cathedral St Agapito became Pope Julius III. Pope Julius III admired Palestrina’ music so much that when he became Pope he took him to Rome where he made him maestro di cappella at the Julian Chapel. Before he was 30 years old Palestrina published his first book of masses in 1554, dedicated to Julius III. This was the first collection of masses ever published in Rome by and Italian composer. SLIDE #3: (Play Missa Gabriel Archangelus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpTaOULyOHM ) Palestrina is considered to be the “Savior of Church Music”. After the death of Pope Julius III in 1555, Pope Marcelli’s reigned for about three weeks, in which he attempted ban polyphonic treatment of text in sacred music, stating that the words should be intelligible to the listener. So, Palestrina wrote Missa Papae Marcelli to persuade him that the style of music should remain unchanged. SLIDE #4: Play Pope Marcellus Mass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wVaD2_RmO8
When Pope Marcelli died, Palestrina had to leave Julian Chapel because his successor, Pope Paul IV, strictly enforced the celibacy rule. However in 1571, he returned to Julian Chapel and retoked his possition and stayed there until his death
Palestrina had a vast influence on the development of Roman Catholic Church music, he is considered the most famous 16th century representative of it; and his work can be seen as a summation of Renaissance polyphony (What is polyphony). He used the technique cantus firmus,