586 REPOBT — 1891. 



of the aid of the greatest musician then living in Eome, Pales- 

 trina, the Master of the Choristers at the Vatican. 



Palestrina was born at Palestrina in 1524, became a choir- 

 boy in one of the principal churches of Eome, and in early 

 manhood was appointed Chapelmaster at the Vatican. It 

 was in the year 1564, Palestrina being forty years of age, 

 famous as a musician, and noted for his piety, that the Papal 

 Commissioners requested him to compose a mass embodying 

 all the devotion and religious feeling of which he was capable, 

 in oi'der to prove that the Church would be wise to retain for 

 its use music of a polyphonic character, which also should be a 

 real aid to worship, and thus to prevent the proposed plan of 

 what has been called " the barbarous idea of a return to uni- 

 sonous unaccompanied melody only." The result of this 

 experiment I will give in Mr. Eockstro's own words : " Thus 

 requested, Palestrina composed, not one single mass, as has 

 been generally said, but three masses, each for six voices, but 

 each in a different style, though all designed for the purpose of 

 illustrating, instead of obscuring, the meaning of the sacred 

 text, and all pervaded by a solemn beauty till then unknown 

 in music — a rich harmonious charm which appealed at once 

 to the inmost heart of the worshippers, and could scarcely fail 

 to arouse devotional feelings in the soul of the coldest listener. 

 The great composer spared no pains to attain the desired 

 result ; but it was an anxious time for all concerned, for 

 upon the approval or rejection of his efforts the future 

 existence or summary extinction of ecclesiastical music was 

 openly declared to depend. On Saturday, the 28th April, 

 1565, the three masses were privately sung at the palace of 

 Cardinal Vitellozzo Vitellozzi by the entire body of ponti- 

 fical singers, whose verdict upon them was unanimous. The 

 first mass, in Modes III. and IV. — the Phrygian and Hypo- 

 Phrygian — and the second, in Mode VII. — the Mixo-Lydian — 

 were enthusiastically admired as works of art ; but the third, 

 in Mode XIV. — the Hypo-Ionian^ — exceeded in devotional ex- 

 pression, all that had ever been conceived possible, in the 

 purest style of vocal music in existence. This wondrous in- 

 spiration now known as the ' Missa Papas Marcelli,' was there- 

 fore unanimously accepted by the Cardinals as the prototype 

 upon the lines of which all future music composed for the 

 service of the Church should be modelled. Giovanni Parvi, 

 copyist to the Pontifical Choir, was commanded to transcribe 

 it in notes of extraordinary size and beauty ; and on the 

 19th June, 1565 — the Tuesday preceding the Feast of Corpus 

 Christi — it was solemnly sung in the Sistine Chapel, in the 

 presence of Pope Pius IV. and the Ambassadors of the Swiss 

 Catholic Cantons, Saint Charles himself acting as celebrant of 

 the mass. The performance of the music was irreproachable ; 



