Palestrina

[Jin]

I've wanted to explore some Palestrina for some time now, but I have no idea where to start. Does anyone have any opinions and recommendations about which CDs/masses to start with?

[Peter]

Yes - The Pope Marcellus Mass, The Improperia, Stabat Mater, Missa brevis and the Song of songs (1584). You'll find a mixture of styles here from polyphonic to purely homophonic.

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'Man know thyself'

[Amalie]

Originally posted by Jin:
I've wanted to explore some Palestrina for some time now, but I have no idea where to start. Does anyone have any opinions and recommendations about which CDs/masses to start with?

Hi Jin,

Italian composer Giovanni Pierluigi Palestrina, 1525 - 94?, is ranked the greatest of Renaissance composers, and is one of my favourites.
Palestrina's religious music includes 102 masses, 250 motets, 35 magnificats, 68 offertories, 45 hymns, and other works.
His secular works include many madrigals. Unlike most influential composers, Palestrina was not primarily an innovator of musical technique, rather, he provided a model for other composers to emulate when they wished to recapture that divine mystical religious tone that his music exemplifies.

Among other Palestrina CD's that I have, I can recommend: MISSA PAPAE MARCELLI. and MISSA ASSUMPTA EST MARIA.

Also you might be interested in listening on line to the following divine pieces form the MISSA HODIE CHRISTUS MATUS and STABAT MATER.
http://music.barnesandnoble.com/sear...n=730099583626

[Amalie]

Amazing! Looks like we posted our responses at the same time Peter. I see we have similar taste!


[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 04-20-2004).]

[Amalie]

In his Memoirs, Berlioz observes that the religious music of Palestrina does not differ from his secular compositions, and to underline the point cites musical examples. Busoni makes the same statement in his sketch for a preface to Dr. Faustus.
We also know that Palestrina wrote masses on secular songs, and for L'Homme Arme, actually retained the original title.

Some years after the appearance of his religious motets, Palestrina published a volume of madrigals to secular texts of indifferent character.
Yet the greatest part of his career was spent in the service of the church, and he was understandably most prolific in his output of religious music.

Great religious composer that he was, Palestrina did not lack a keen business sense either in his professional and personal life. After a series of family misfortunes -- the death of his first wife, two sons, and brothers, he decided to become a priest. Although he actually received the tonsure, he soon therefore abandoned that life to marry a wealthy woman into whose fur business he entered.

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[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 04-20-2004).]

[v russo]

Palestrina is one of my favorites. His counterpoint and that of his contemporaries is some of the most advanced we have in the history of western art music (or any music for that matter!)

Try the Motets and Magrigals for starters.



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v russo

[Jin]

Is some story about Palestrina and the Council of Trent or Vatican? Sounds like of too legend-like to be true.

[Peter]

Originally posted by Jin:
Is some story about Palestrina and the Council of Trent or Vatican? Sounds like of too legend-like to be true.

Yes, the Council of Trent did not specifically ban polyphonic music nor the parodying of secular models. Far more general rather than technical terms were used 'everything impure or lascivious must be avoided'. It could be that a few extremists were opposed to polyphonic music, and that the council's final decisions were influenced by the music of Jacobus de Kerle. Palestrina's role in this may be legend, but he was representative of the new style favoured by the Council.

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'Man know thyself'

[Chris]

The Church has really gotten itself into some trouble with that general language it uses to describe appropriate music. It should be as specific as it is in other liturgical matters. You'd think that common sense would pick up the slack in regards to the lack of specifics, but it doesn't. They need to spell a few things out like, NO !$@#%^& ELECTRIC GUITARS AT MASS.

[Jin]

So their definition of lascivious was more like "we'll know it when we hear it"?

[Roehre]

I've wanted to explore some Palestrina for some time now, but I have no idea where to start.

And Palestrina did influence Beethoven as well.
Listen to the Heiliger Dankgesang, the slow movement of the string quartet opus 132.