Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
... were written for four, five and six voices a capella. Such amount of works showed great ability and confidence for the composition. Palestrina was able to combine vigorous religious feelings and everyday feelings to make his work beautiful. In 1555 Palestrina became a group member of the Capella Sistina. Cappella Sistina is the papal choir of the Sistinie Chapel. This showed that his capabilities as a musician was considered as the highest, because for belonging to that choir it was an extreme condition to be single. On top of that Palestrina had two children. A year later the pope died and Pope Marcellus took over. Pope Marcellus was also pleased with Palestrina and the way he conducted the masses. But the Supreme Pontiff is surprised by the death of the pope. He had only been at the front of the Church for only three weeks. Pope Marcellus was followed by Paolo IV as the pope. Pope Paolo IV forced a ban on Palestrina’s music. The pope said, “All the music needs to be purged of all sensual and impure elements, all secular forms, and unedifying language.” While all of this was happening, Palestrina wrote his second book of masses. In September of 1955, the pope demanded the resignation of Palestrina. Between 1555-60 two other married singers of the Sistine Chapel Choir were forced to resign. The worry and hardship caused by the dismissal brought on a severe illness. Restored, the composer took charge of the choir at St. John Lateran in 1 October 1555. In 1561 he asked the chapter of St. John Lateran for an increase in salary, in view of his growing needs and the expense of publishing his works. Refused, he accepted a similar post at Santa Maria Maggiore. Then between 1561-66 he was the Maestro di Capella at St. Maria Maggiore. During this period he wrote the famous "Improperia". On the sides Palestrina wrote Lamentations and Magnificats. Their performance by the papal choir on Good Friday was ordered by Paul IV, and they have remained in its repertoire for Holy Week ever since. This production greatly increased Palestrina's fame. The works of Palestrina were like those of no other. He inhabited the musical style that had started in fifteenth century Netherlands. He used that smooth, echo of voices to create his own style of character. During 1564 Cardinal Ippolito d’Este promoted Palestrina to oversee the music at his Tivoli estate. From 1566 to 1571 Palestrina taught music at the Seminario Romano before going back to the Capella Giulia as maestro. In that same year he had the opportunity to become the Maestro di Cappella at the church of St. John Lateran. This meant that Palestrina was the master of the chapel and he was responsible to compose and conduct the music there. The next year he became the director of concerts at Cardinal Ippolito’s Villa. He was also required by the Emperor Maximilian II to be transferred to Vienna as the Conductor of the Imperial Choir, but they did not reach an economic agreement due to the high salary that Palestrina was asking for. In 1571, he then returned to Vatican to resume leadership of the Julian Chapel Choir. In 1571 Giovanni Animuccia, choirmaster at St. Peter's, died, Palestrina became his successor, thus being connected with the papal choir and St. Peter's at the same time. An attempt of having Palestrina dismissed of his position was done by one of his jealous and intriguing colleagues in the papal chapel. Pius V investigated the situation and found out that it was all due to jealousy. During this year he wrote a number of motets and laudi spirituali for the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. Besides the duties of choirmaster at St. Peter's, composer to the papal chapel, director of music at St. Philip’s Oratory, he also taught at the school of music of Giovanni Maria Nanini. For the duration of the 1560s and 1570s Palestrina’s fame and influence promptly increased with the help of his published works. Palestrina’s reputation was so grand that in 1578 the Pope Gregory XIII requested Palestrina and Anibale Zoilo (Chapel Master of San Juan Letrán) to do a revision of the traditional Church song book by adding on lyrics. After the publication of the breviary and of the missal recommended by the Council of Trent, both musicians were asked to expurgate, correct and reform the Antiphonaries, Graduals and Psalters for the use of the whole Church, as a substitute of the local variants. Palestrina’s most well known mass was Missa Papae Marcelli. It was composed to satisfy the Council of Trent by saying that there was still a place for polyphony in the musical performance of the Catholic Liturgy. The seventies, however, were not an easy time...