Palestrina the Perfectionist

Registration from 13:45

Immerse yourself in the world of Palestrina and encounter polyphony at its most poised and refined. The music of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina earned him the title Principe della Musica (the “Prince of Music”) thanks to the legend that his writing helped demonstrate to the Council of Trent how clarity of text and musical beauty could coexist. Palestrina spent much of his career in Rome, holding posts at major churches including St Peter’s, and working at the heart of the Catholic Church during a period of reform. His music was widely circulated in print during his lifetime, helping to establish his reputation across Europe, and later generations would look to his style as a model of compositional craft – a quasi polyphonic rulebook. These motets offer a window into that legacy: music shaped by discipline, clarity, and an enduring sense of perfection.

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c1526/6-1594)
Ego sum panis vivus
Sicut cervus
Sitivit anima mea
Super flumina Babylonis
Veni sponsa Christi

Directed by Scott Inglis-Kidger