Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

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Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (b. 3 February 1525 – 2 February 1526; d. 2 February 1594) was an Italian Renaissance composer and the most well-known 16th-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition. Palestrina became famous through his output of sacred music. He had an enormous influence on the development of Roman Catholic church music, and his work has often been seen as the culmination of Renaissance polyphony. It is only recently, with the discovery and publication of a great deal of hitherto unknown or forgotten music by various Renaissance composers, that we have had the means to properly assess Palestrina in historical context. Palestrina was born in Palestrina, a town near Rome, then part of the Papal States. He spent most of his career in Rome. Documents suggest that he first visited the city in 1537, when he is listed as a chorister at Santa Maria Maggiore basilica. He studied with Robin Mallapert and Firmin Lebel. Palestrina came of age as a musician under the influence of the northern European style of polyphony, which owed its dominance in Italy primarily to two extraordinarily successful Franco-Flemish composers, Guillaume Dufay and Josquin des Prez, who had spent significant portions of their careers there. Italy itself had yet to produce anyone of comparable fame or skill in polyphony. From 1544 to 1551, Palestrina was organist of the principal church (St. Agapito) of his native city, and in 1551 he became maestro di cappella at the

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PALESTRINA: Missa Papae Marcelli

Palestrina

PALESTRINA / LASSUS: Masses

PALESTRINA: Missa L'homme arme / CAVAZZONI: Ricercari

PALESTRINA: Missa de Beata Virgine

The Tallis Scholars Sing Palestrina

PALESTRINA: Missa Sine Nomine / Missa L'Homme Arme / Motets

Missa de Beata Virgine I

Palestrina Volume 6

Palestrina, Vol. 7

Palestrina Volume 2

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How Fair Thou Art: Biblical Passions by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

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