Voices of Connection: 06/29 Missa Papae Marcelli

There is an old story that Palestrina “saved music” by composing a Mass where the text could be understood clearly. According to this legend, the councils of the Roman Catholic Church were tired of elaborate musical Mass settings where the elaborate counterpoint obscured the text. And this Mass - and this movement in particular - showed that one could compose great music and still make the words understood. The story may be completely made up. But this “Credo” is indeed written in a style very different from Palestrina’s more familiar serene style, with his signature rise and fall of the lines. The vocal parts here are often in blocks of sound, sometimes with one group of voices in dialogue with another group. And there is lively rhythmic interplay not often encountered in Palestrina. This was actually a more modern approach to composition – one similar to works of Giovanni Gabrieli and other Venetians decades later. The middle section of this great “Credo” hearkens back to Palestrina’s more familiar style, with exquisite, tender vocal writing.

– Dennis Keene

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PALESTRINA "Credo" from Missa Papae Marcelli

Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director
Peter Stewart, Baritone

from the Delos recording Prince of Music ℗ 1999 Delos
The singers in this performance are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO.

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