“Missa Papæ Marcelli”.
Composer: Palestrina.
Sung by: The Tallis Scholars.
Director of Music: Peter Phillips.
Available on YouTube at
Listen to the unbelievably beautiful polyphonic singing by The Tallis Scholars of Palestrina's “Missa Papæ Marcelli”.
In addition, you will see the magnificent paintings by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571 - 1610).
This outstanding Painter made great use of the art of “Chiaroscuro”.
“Chiaroscuro”, in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition.
It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achieve a sense of volume in modelling three-dimensional objects and figures.[1] Similar effects in cinema, and black and white and low-key photography, are also called chiaroscuro.
Thank you, Dom Zephyrinus, for a wonderful conjuction of visual and musical art.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt Zephyrinus knows that according to popular belief, the composition of the Misa Papae Marcelli in 1567 "saved" polyphonic music in the Catholic Mass. Trent had concluded in 1563 and some forces in the Church allegedly wanted to prevent the secular excesses in music that had intruded into the Mass prior to the convening of the Council in 1545. Whether or not intended, Palestrina's great work here undoubtedly preserved polyphonic sacred music for posterity.
As for Palestrina, he labored on, surviving at least 3 episodes of bubonic plague in Rome while continuing to be official organist and choir director for S. Peter's. He finally died in 1594, about 70 years old, and was buried in S. Peter's under the sanctuary floor.
When the naive Dante Peregrinus, shortly after the Franco-Prussian War, visited Rome, he searched and searched for Palestrina's burial place---not knowing it is lost to the ages. Palestrina was buried under the floor of the old Constantinian basilica, and when the succession of architects---Bramante, Moderno, Michelangelo, Bernini labored away ---actually having started in 1506, but finally finishing up about 1626---Palestrina's and many other important interments were misplaced. Palestrina probably doesnt mind too much, his mortal remains still "hearing" his pieces performed annually, even today.
As always, a big Thank You, Dante Peregrinus, for this invaluable and extremely interesting addition to this Post. Zephyrinus's knowledge-base on this subject is now much enhanced.
DeleteOne chuckles, again, at the over-one-hundred-and-fifty-year-old Dante Peregrinus searching, unsuccessfully, for Palestrina's tomb in the floor of Saint Peter's. Probably the eye-sight was a bit dodgy at that age !!!
Very. The eyesight that is..
DeleteThank God for the age of the internet, which finally informed Dante that any attempted search for Palestrina's burial plot was futile.