Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)

Donald Macleod investigates the life of a Renaissance genius, Giovanni da Palestrina

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594) was one of the most influential composers in European classical music. With his countless masses, motets and madrigals, infused with a deep sense of spirituality and musical beauty, Palestrina was named the 'Saviour of Church Music' at a revolutionary time when Rome was rewriting the rules of music composition. But what do we know about this mysterious character, between historical fact and hagiographic myth? Donald Macleod follows the clues, to try and reconstruct the story of a fascinating composer, on the (approximately) 500th anniversary of his birth.

Music Featured:

Sicut cervus Laudate pueri Pueri hebraeorum (arr for dobro) Puer qui natus est Missa Assumpta est Maria (excerpt) Josquin des Prez: O virgo prudentissima Josquin des Prez: Fortuna d’un gran tempo Costanzo Festa: Sancta Maria succurre miseris Sacred Madrigals, Book 2, Città di Dio Ricercar del primo tuono Magnificat Primi toni Missa Ecce sacerdos magnus (Sanctus) Quam pulchri sunt gressus tui Pulchra es, amica mea (arr Volbers for recorder ensemble) Missa Papae Marcelli (excerpt) Vergine bella… Vergine saggia… Vestiva i colli Sabbato Sancto: Lectio III, Incipit oratio Ieremiae prophetae Motecta festorum totius anni cum Communi Sanctorum – liber primus Misso Herodes Nicola Vicentino: Jerusalem convertere Cristóbal de Morales: Gaude et laetare, Ferrariensis civitas Motecta festorum totius anni cum Communi Sanctorum (Fuit homo missus a Deo) Missa Papae Marcelli (Sanctus) Ricercar del secondo tuono Missa sine nomine a 6 arr Johann Sebastian Bach L'homme armé (exceprt) Adoramus te Christe arr Leopold Stokowski for orchestra O admirabile commercium Missa Ut re mi fa sol la (excerpt) Io son ferito (instrumental version) Missa Brevis (excerpt) Canite tuba (arr for brass ensemble) Deh hor foss’io col vago della luna (on a text by Petrarch) Offertoria totius anni (Jubilate Deo) arr A. Frackenpohl for brass ensemble Stabat Mater Missa pro defunctis (Sanctus-Benedictus) First Book of Madrigals (Sestina. Mai fu piu crud’o spietata morte) Ad te levavi Johann Joseph Fux: Gradus ad Parnassum (Fugue) Francesco Soriano: Alpha à 6 Canticum Canticorum (Osculetur me osculo oris sui) Missa Memor esto verbi tui a 5 (Credo) Missa Cantantibus organis (from the motet Cantantibus Organis by Palestrina) Sacred Madrigals, Book 2 (E questo spirto) Libera me Domine Ave Maria

Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Julien Rosa for BBC Audio Wales & West

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002d7cq

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z