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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

What Did Palestrina Look Like?

Jeff Ostrowski · May 12, 2020

INGING at Mass recently, I mentioned to my friend (Jordan Pacheco) that I don’t know any music which is more awesome or passionate than Measures 20-21 (Tenor Line) in this Palestrina score. I used to think Palestrina was “boring” or “vanilla”—but I was wrong. (Boy, was I ever wrong!) But what did Palestrina actually look like? Do we know?

Fr. Cristóbal de Morales: We know what Father Cristóbal de Morales looked like. Scroll to the bottom of this article to see a contemporary picture of his face.

Fr. Francisco Guerrero: We also know what Father Francisco Guerrero looked like. Click here to see a contemporary image, which Corpus Christi Watershed paid an artist to “realize.”

Father Lawrence Lew recently sent me this image of Palestrina next to Guido d’Arezzo:


It is found on the Cathedral of Florence (the “Duomo of Firenze”), which was completed approximately 100 years before Palestrina was born. I guess that means the sculpture was added later? Here’s the full photograph by Father Lawrence Lew, OP—perhaps the world’s greatest photographer:

He is holding a score to “Missa Papæ Marcelli.” Our readers will understand why.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

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Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: May 12, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Yet, with all its advantages, the new Missal was published as if it were a work put together by professors, not a phase in a continual growth process. Such a thing never happened before. It is absolutely contrary to the laws of liturgical growth, and it has resulted in the nonsensical notion that Trent and Pius V had “produced” a Missal four hundred years ago.

— Josef Cardinal Ratzinger (1986)

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