Customer Reviews

Palestrina Masses: Missa Benedicta es

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This is an exquisite recording of 2 of Palestrina's many masses, performed by The Tallis Scholars and conducted by Peter Phillips. They beautifully master the pure, clear tone required by 16-century compositions. This recording is an excellent addition to the collection of any classical music lover.

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (4 March 1525 - 2 February 1594) was an Italian composer of Renaissance music. He was the most famous sixteenth-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition. Palestrina had a vast influence on the development of Roman Catholic church music, and his work can be seen as a summation of Renaissance polyphony.

Palestrina left hundreds of compositions, including 104 masses, 68 offertories, more than 300 motets, at least 72 hymns, 35 magnificats, 11 litanies, 4 or 5 sets of lamentations etc., at least 140 madrigals and 9 organ ricercari (however, recent scholarship has classed these ricercari as of doubtful authorship; Palestrina probably wrote no purely instrumental music). His Missa sine nomine seems to have been particularly attractive to Johann Sebastian Bach, who studied and performed it while he was writing his own masterpiece, the Mass in B Minor. His compositions are typified as very clear, with voice parts well-balanced and beautifully harmonized.

Beautiful and tranquil music; the composer is second to none for this mood enhancing experience. Worth listening to when you need to chill out...