February 3 - Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (The Musical Birthday Series, 4th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for February 3rd are here: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina; Felix Mendelssohn (2020), Mabel Mercer (2021), Johann Georg Albrechtsberger; Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (2022)

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Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525 – 2  Februar 1594) was one of the great composers of all time.  We do not, in fact, know when he was born, but 3 February turns up in some sources, so we are somewhat arbitrarily adopting that here. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quam pulchri sunt

Pars 1

A great Palestrina motet

Is as churchy as music can get.

There’s a spiritual poise

To the notes it employs,

And it never breaks out in a sweat.

Pars 2

Though a great Palestrinian Mass

Is quite the best thing in its class,

There are those who aver

That they’d really prefer

A rite with a little more sass.

 

 

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