The World's Great Men of Music

nearly four hundred years. And even then we may not be able to discover all the events of his life as some of the records have been lost. But we have the main

s old when Rome was young. Four hundred years ago Palestrina was dominated by the great castle of its

not grindingly poor, since the will of Sante's mother has lately been found, in which she bequeathed a house in Palestrina to her two s

from a tiniest child, loved beauty of sight and sound. And this is not at all surprising, for a child surrounded from inf

his mother is said to have sold some land she

Rome. At the time of our story, Saint Peter's had withstood the sack of the city, which happened a dozen years before, and Bramante's vast basilica had already begu

and their music did not match the great achievements attained in the kindred art of the time-architecture, sculpture and painting. There was needed a

aster; whether this is true or not, he was surel

be present every day at mass and vespers, and to teach singing to the canons and choristers. Thus he spent the early years of his young manhood directing the daily services and drumming the rudiments of music into the heads of the little choristers. It may have been dry and wea

great musical appointments in Rome, it was a very unwise thing for him to marry, for single singers were preferred in nine cases out of ten. Palestrina did not seem to realize this danger to a brilliant career

pitus, it seems that such contracts could be broken without peril. Thus, after

the young chapel master seemed satisfied. Hardly three years after his arrival had elapsed, when he had written and printed a book containing five masses, which he ded

the Papal chair occurred at this time, and when Paul IV, as Pope, came into power, he began at once with reforms. Finding that

nd it hard to endure. He fell ill at this time, and the outlook was

andus Lassus had so recently directed the music. As Palestrina could still keep his six scudi pension, increased with the added salary of the new position, he was able to establish his family in a pretty villa

naming for this pontiff a famous work, "Mass of Pope Marcellus." Pius IV, who was in power when the mass was performed, praised it eloquently, saying John Peter Louis of Palestrina was a new John, bringing down to the church militant the harmonies of that "new song" which John the A

last named it was his second term, of course, but it continued from 1571 to his death. He was happy in his work, in his home and in his friends. He also saved qu

ished father. In 1580 his wife died also. Yet neither poignant sorrow, worldly glory nor ascetic piety blighted his homely affections. At the Jubilee of Pope Gregory XIII, in 1575, when 1500 pilgrims from the town of Palest

he fathers turned to Palestrina, desiring him to compose a mass in which sacred words should be heard throughout. Palestrina, deeply realizing his responsibility, wrote not only one but three, which, on being heard, pleased greatly by their piety, meekness, and beautiful spirit. Feeling more sure o

ome, a devout Christian, and on his coffin were engr