A Welcome Opportunity to Listen to Palestrina

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (artist and date unknown, from Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

Early yesterday evening the music lover in me got the better of the atheist. As a result, I attended the Procession and High Mass held for the Feast of the Assumption at the Church of the Advent of Christ the King in order to listen to the Missa Assumpta est Maria setting of the Ordinary of the Mass by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Seated at the rear of the congregation, I did my best to be respectful of the entire service. Nevertheless, while others were dwelling on the ascent of the soul of the Virgin Mary into Heaven, I found myself reflecting on how few opportunities there are to listen to Palestrina’s music.

For those not yet aware of the background, Palestrina remains the primary authoritative source for the study of counterpoint. He has achieved that status not only through his technique but also as the “lead character” in Johann Joseph Fux’ counterpoint textbook Gradus ad Parnassum (steps to Parnassus). Fux wrote the book as a philosophical dialog between student and teacher, and the teacher is Palestrina (although the name given in the dialog is Aloysius). Fux casts himself in the role of the student named Josephus. Written in 1725, the book is still the “gold standard” for the study of counterpoint; and I have every reason to believe that it will maintain that status when its 300th anniversary is celebrated in less than a decade.

What is most important in compositions such as the Mass settings is the way in which equal treatment is given to all of the participating voices. Texts are emphasized through imitative passages; but, to be fair, the words themselves are often lost in the fabric of those interleaving voices. In a church setting one can depend on the congregation’s familiarity with the words. Nevertheless, there was a particular clarity yesterday evening with the one-to-a-part singing of the six contrapuntal voices. Paul Ellison was one of those voices, leading his five Schola Adventus singers in the other parts: Tonia D’Amelio, Kevin Baum, Lauren Carley, Jonathan Hampton, and James Monios.

The result was a deep appreciation of how much Palestrina’s contributions remain a valuable part of the repertoire, combined with a tinge of regret at how few opportunities there are to come to that appreciation.