Palestrina, Vol. 1

Featuring

Harry Christophers
The Sixteen
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Did you know?

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Historical Context

The Council of Trent's reforms influenced church music, leading to a need for new music with simpler vocal lines and greater text clarity.

Composition History

The Missa Papae Marcelli, one of Palestrina's best-known works, was believed by his first biographer to have been written to convince Cardinals not to abandon polyphony.

Critical Reception

Palestrina's legacy led to many myths, including being portrayed erroneously as the 'perfector' and 'originator' of the true polyphonic style of the late Renaissance.

Compositional Technique

Palestrina often used a 'parody' technique in his Masses, borrowing and rearranging musical motifs and textures from other compositions, such as his motets.

Cultural Impact

Improvements in 16th-century printing technology and the rise of a monied middle-class led to a wider market for polyphonic music, including religious works accessible to the average person.