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Lesson 3: Giovanni Pierluigi da
Palestrina (1525?–1594)

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina represents the cumlination of the Roman (Catholic) polyphonic style. His music almost sounds “pure” when compared to some of his associates. The lyrics are clear, and the parts distinct when they enter. His compositions are majestic and are sometimes referred to as “cathedrals in sound.”

There are two interesting notions about him, one factual and one legendary. First is his name. He is often referred to simply as “Palestrina,” which would be the same as people calling you by the name of your city or town (i.e., “Hey, New York, want to go to the store?”). The second is a story about how he supposedly single-handedly saved music in the Roman Catholic Church.

The legend is that a pope or a Church Council was considering banning polyphonic music in the liturgy because the words were becoming impossible to understand. This part was true; many composers were layering the different lines of the text so that they sounded together which made distinguishing the words very difficult. Palestrina supposedly wrote a mass to show that the polyphonic style could be written in such a way as to enhance the text, so the Church leaders changed their minds. This has turned out to be false, but the story persists. The following selection is from his best-loved work.