Renaissance Composers

(At least we have a few here)

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

What a long name! He is commonly known as Palestrina( Thank god for that).

Palestrina, an Italian composer, was born in Palestrina, Rome ( It is not hard to see where his name came from *haha!*)in 1525.

 His life story as a composer started after he became a chorister ar S. Maria Maggiore, Rome in 1537. He studied in Rome in the year 15940. He was both the and organist and the Choirmaster( Man in those days really do know how to maximise their income. )in Palestrina in 1544. In1550, the Bishop became Pope Julius III and in 1551 summoned Palestrina to Rome as the choirmaster of Capella Guilia, a nursery for the Sistine Choir.

The followin year, Palestrina published his first book of Masses( There goes his money-making brain again). In 1555, a new Pope, Pope Paul IV, dismissed Palestrina and 2 others from the Sistine Choir for reasons that is never satisfactory. Palestrina was then appointed as the maestro di capella of St Lateran in1555 in succession to Lassus (another composer). For this church , he write his Lamentations. He resigned in 1560 over the disatisfaction in which the choir boys are fed., becoming the choir master of S. Maria. Maggiore in 1561.

He published his book of motets later( That confirms his enterprising mind ). in 1567, he resigned to enter the services of Cardinal Ippolito d'Este having become disatisfied in hte Papal reforms of the church which rendered his work unliturgical for the church service as it contain foreign words that are not of sacred text.

When Palestrina lost both his wife and sons during the epidemic, he decided to become a priest. But after a few weeks, he changed his mind and remarried to a widowed wife of a rich fur merchant. Palestrina formed partnership with one of the men in the trade and made a fortune which enable him to publish 16 collections of his music in the last 13 years of his life. ( There he goes earning profit again)

Palestrina's music is characterised by flowing smooth lines and rich blend of sound in a way that is distinct from that of Byrd and Lassus but the skill woth which his sacred works are based on the secular madrigal gives his music special characteristocs shich are greatly admired.

His works include masses like Missa Papae Marcelli, L'Homme arme and Hexachord Mass. Motets like Stabat Mater and the Song of Solomon. Cantoines sacrae, magnificats, offertories, Lamentations, Psalms, Litanies, Sacred Madrigals and Secular madrigals.