Giovanni Palestrina: Motets: SATB: Vocal Score

The short motet is scored for four Voices SSSA or SSST or TTTB unaccompanied and displays Palestrina’s gift for transcendent solemnity.Palestrina is one of the towering figures of late Renaissance church music whose polyphoniccompositions remain actively performed in the Choral repertoire. He composed more than 250 motets. This one Alma Redemptor Mater for four Voices is not known to have been published during his lifetime but has been found inmanuscript form in the Collegio Romano in Rome. In 1545 the Council of Trent set out to reform various practices in the Roman Catholic Church in defense of the threats of the new Protestant movement. Clarity of scriptural wordswas one of the issues at stake especially as the polyphonic style of which Palestrina was a master overlaid many Vocal lines creating complex textures. It is possible that this motet was written following the new guidelinesof the Council.

Palestrina is one of the towering figures of late Renaissance church music whose polyphonic compositions remain actively performed in the Choral repertoire. He composed more than 250 motets. This one Assumpta Est Maria for theFeast of the Assumption is of particular interest.In 1545 the Council of Trent set out to reform various practices in the Roman Catholic Church in defense of the threats of the new Protestant movement. Clarity of scripturalwords was one of the issues at stake especially as the polyphonic style of which Palestrina was a master overlaid many Vocal lines creating complex textures. It is debated whether this motet with a newfound clarity oflanguage was written in response to the Council of Trent or if it predated the Counterreformation and sprung with its innovations entirely from Palestrina’s own fertile creativity. This edition was prepared from the Vaticanchoirbook contemporary with the composer’s life. It is scored for Cantus I and II Alto Tenor I and II and Bass with rehearsal Piano accompaniment.