
Celebrating 500 Years of Palestrina
This month, we honor the 500th birthday of perhaps the best-known composer of the Italian Renaissance, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594). Unlike most of his contemporaries and predecessors, Palestrina was unique in that his reputation continued to rise and his music continued to circulate long after his death, in large part because of the oft-repeated story that he “saved” Catholic church music. In this article, we examine the man behind the myth in search of a more comprehensive view of his musical contributions. Plus, we provide you with a specially curated Spotify playlist.