Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525 – 1594) Italian

An article on the legend of the Missa Papae Marcelli


Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525 - 1594) is considered the ultimate master of Renaissance vocal polyphony.  Throughout his life, his extraordinarily prolific output included 104 Masses (far more than any other composer), over 250 motets, 68 offertories, 33 magnificats and numerous hymns and madrigals.  Palestrina came of age as a musician under the influence of the northern European style of polyphony, which owed its dominance in Italy primarily to two influential Netherlandish composers, Guillaume Dufay and Josquin des Prez, who had spent significant portions of their careers there. Italy itself had yet to produce anyone of comparable fame or skill in polyphony.

 There is a false legend that his mass Missa Papae Marcelli (Pope Marcellus Mass), saved the polyphonic mass from a possible ban (the lyrics of polyphonic masses were difficult to understand) at the Council of Trent (1563) because the lyrics could be easily understood.  Nonetheless, his masses remained influential, one even influencing J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor. 

The third and closing sessions of the Council of Trent were held in 1562–63, at which the use of polyphonic music in the Catholic Church was discussed.  Concerns were raised over two problems:   first, the use of music that was objectionable, such as secular songs provided with religious lyrics (contrafacta) or masses based on songs with lyrics about drinking or lovemaking; and second, whether imitation in polyphonic music obscured the words of the mass, interfering with the listener's devotion.  Some debate occurred over whether polyphony should be banned outright in worship, and some of the auxiliary publications by attendants of the Council caution against both of these problems.  However, none of the official proclamations from the Council mentions polyphonic music, excepting one injunction against the use of music that is, in the words of the Council, "lascivious or impure."

One of the hallmarks of Palestrina's music is that dissonances are typically relegated to the "weak" beats in a measure. This produced a smoother and more consonant type of polyphony which is now considered to be definitive of late Renaissance music.


Missa Papae Marcelli  (Pope Marcellus Mass)  (1562?)
Youtube: Complete studio recording (31:00) 

         
     Gloria  ("Glory to God in the Highest")  (5:00)


Sicut cirvus -  with video of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling.  (2:40)