Giovanni pierluigi de Palestrina Research Paper

Giovanni pierluigi de Palestrina - Research Paper Example Sante was his family name (Pyne, 2008). Palestrina dedicated much of his time and effort to teaching, and was basically the founding father of Rome’s Italian school of composition. Perhaps the credit should be given to Goudimel, Palestrina’s teacher, though in the past the aged Roman school is strongly associated with the name of Palestrina (Ferris, 2008). This research paper discusses the life and works of one of the greatest composers in the history of music, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. There are very few available historical documents that recount the childhood of Palestrina, but by 1537 he became a choirboy in Rome. He returned to Palestrina in 1544 and became an organist and choirmaster in the town’s church. The previous bishop of Palestrina, Pope Julius III, chose Palestrina to be the chapel master in St. Peter’s in 1511 (Tapper & Goetschius, 2001). The first known work of Palestrina was a compilation of four masses in 1554. These proved the skill of Palestrina in polyphony and counterpoint, and gained his status as the leading composer of holy songs in Rome (Tapper & Goetschius, 2001). However, Pope Paul IV felt obliged to discharge Palestrina from the convention, primarily because Palestrina was married. Nevertheless, he still became St. John’s chapel master; he also became the chapel master at Santa Maria Maggiore in 1561; and he was at last placed back in his previous post at the Vatican in 1571 (Sarti, 2009). Palestrina passed away in 1594. The music of Palestrina should be analyzed within the framework of the catholic reformation happening during his composition days. Before Palestrina, songs used in churches had a tendency to wander away from the religious doctrine that it was founded upon; it usually espouses its own ideals, more for amusement than encouragement. The Council of Trent even tried to get rid of music from religious practice on the whole, until the recital of Missa Papae Marcelli in