Who was Monteverdi Palestrina?
Its not who was but who were, those are two people, two composers: Monteverdi & Palestrina Masters of the Notes Even during his own lifetime, Palestrina’s music was seen as the ars prefecta, the ultimate distillation and refinement of Renaissance polyphony. His serene, lucid, and mellifluous style became the model for future composers of music for the church and is the counterpoint studied by students in universities today. Yet during his lifetime (c.1526-1594), a new style was born, inspired by the radical humanists’ desire to break the rules of counterpoint in the service of the text. Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), the greatest of these musicians, honed his ideas in madrigals and opera and brought this new Baroque style to church music as well. In the glorious National Cathedral the Consort performs motets by both composers and instrumental works in both old and new styles.
