This year marks the 500th anniversary of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina's birth. An Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music, Palestrina was a prominent representative of the Roman School of musical composition in the late sixteenth century. His lasting influence on the development of both church and secular music in Europe can be most plainly seen in the development of counterpoint and polyphony.
Renowned for his masses and motets, the Missa Papae Marcelli is one of the most important works of the Renaissance period and is often considered one of the pinnacles of sacred music. At the time the work was composed, the Catholic Church was in a period of crisis, shaken by the impact of the Reformation in Europe. The role of liturgical music was being dramatically re-evaluated, and Palestrina’s mass certainly laid the foundations for sacred polyphonic choral music to come.
The new Carus edition of Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli by Italian musicologist Francesco Saggio reproduces the musical text in its earliest form and ensures that the work meets current standards of performance practice, thanks to the clear and modern notation used. The edition is not only based on the earliest printed versions which first appeared in the sixteenth century but also on two handwritten copies made during the composer's lifetime, which had been preserved in sacred collections. The edition also includes a second Agnus Dei previously only found in the manuscripts.
Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli
The aim of the edition is to reproduce the earliest version of the score while at the same time revising it to meet modern performance requirements.
Available Format: Sheet Music
Choral score edition of the Missa Papae Marcelli.
Available Format: Sheet Music
More Sheet Music by Palestrina
Edited and arranged for modern use by Henry Washington. For eight voices (double SATB choir).
Available Format: Sheet Music
For SATB double choir unaccompanied. Edited by John Rutter.
Available Format: Sheet Music
