During the Renaissance, Palestrina was a highly productive composer of sacred music for the Catholic Church, writing at a time of great upheaval as the Church confronted the Reformation and the increasing popularity of Protestantism. There was much debate about the role of church music, with critics arguing that the complexity of polyphony detracted from the sacred words and suggesting the use of plainsong instead.
Although the details are likely embellished, Palestrina is credited with saving polyphony from being abolished by the Church. He was asked to compose a Mass that would demonstrate that polyphonic music could be clear in meaning and promote a devotional spirit. His resulting work, the Messae Papae Marcelli (Mass of Pope Marcellus), convinced the critics and preserved (for the time being) the use of polyphony in church music.
While Palestrina initially learned from the techniques of Franco-Flemish composers like Josquin Desprez, he developed his own style, which combined polyphony with simpler homophonic sections. Born around 1525 in Palestrina near Rome, he was a choirboy at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome in 1537. From 1544 to 1551, he served as the organist and music director at the cathedral in his hometown. In 1551, he became the director of music at the Cappella Giulia of St. Peter's in Rome, and in 1555, he was appointed as the choirmaster of the Sistine Chapel by Pope Julius III. However, he was dismissed in 1555 by Pope Paul IV for not being a priest, but he was quickly appointed as the chapel master of St. John of the Lateran in Rome. He held this position until 1560 and became a music teacher at the Seminario Romano. He then served under Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este from 1561 to 1571, and from 1571 until his death on February 2, 1594, he served as Kapellmeister in St. Peter's, where he was also buried. During his lifetime, Palestrina was already well-known throughout Europe.
Palestrina's most famous work is the Messae Papae Marcelli, but he also composed over a hundred masses, a Stabat Mater, and the Canticum Canticorum (Song of Songs). The Messae Papae Marcelli was performed before a committee of cardinals who wanted to test whether the words could be understood by the faithful, as the Church was considering banning polyphonic music. However, Palestrina's music impressed the committee with its beauty and simple, declamatory style. In composing the Mass, Palestrina successfully adapted to the Church's requirements, using the text to express its meaning and sentiment. He achieved simplicity and clarity in his music, making the sacred text intelligible to listeners. The Mass features contrasting sections of independent, overlapping voices with parts in which the voices sing together. Although there are contrapuntal effects in the Mass, they are used judiciously and always contribute to the transparency of the polyphonic discourse. The Messae Papae Marcelli was traditionally sung at the coronation of the Pope until the practice was discontinued by John Paul I and his successors.
Listen to: Kammerchor Dresden under the direction of Hans-Christoph Rademann (only the Kyrie, Gloria and Agnus Dei of the Mass, the Credo, Sanctus and Benedictus have been left out in this performance)