Palestrina For All: Unwrapping Singing Celebrating (Paperback)

This new book explores the music of the great composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) its surrounding history and still unfolding potential. It follows the music from love poetry through changing events in the Church Year to the composer s record-breaking 104 Mass settings uncovering many neglected treasures on the way. Its approach is accessible and largely non-technical. There is a focus on relationships with text belief and ceremony the individual melodic lines and the richly interweaving voice parts (cantus alto tenor bass). Not least the author explores diverse ways - emotional devotional imaginative - of enjoying and responding to the music. Here is music which excels in subtle differentiation equality consonance and cordiality between the voice parts. Much of it can be interpreted as symbolising ideal community and core beliefs about the eternal God. There is a striking avoidance of tight metricality mighty forces tumult or disjunction. The music s leading values are those of clarity balance affectionate concord and graceful flowingness. {WHAT SOME LEADING PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE BOOK} Historian Jonathan Boswell has brought a lifetime s fascination with the life and music of Palestrina to bear in a new book the first accessible general guide in English to appear for several decades (EARLY MUSIC TODAY News June 2019). Anyone interested in exploring Palestrina should start with this account ..I very much applaud the author (PETER PHILLIPS The Tallis Scholars). So refreshing so personal so illuminating ...I loved this book (HARRY CHRISTOPHERS The Sixteen). A very valuable contribution to the field and it will immensely enrich all those who engage with it (CHIARA BERTOGLIO Professor of Musicology University of Bologna). Cannot fail to move and stimulate the reader (PATRICK RUSSILL Royal College of Music). A much needed book .. it s first class (ANDREW CARWOOD St Paul s Cathedral & The Cardinall s Musick). Wonderful welcome long overdue ...an invaluable guide to programming Palestrina s music for both the liturgy and concert hall ....not merely setting the seal on the rehabilitation of a much-misunderstood master but also teaching one how to hear appreciate and absorb the internal workings of Palestrina s counterpoint rather than be distracted by the line highest in pitch ....a grand demystification of both man & music ...there isn t a word too many ....It should be on the shelves of music students choir directors church musicians academics singers (both amateur & professional) and listeners (CHOIR AND ORGAN REBECCA TAVENER January 2020) Palestrina for All should be bought and read carefully by anyone either new to (Renaissance) choral polyphony or to early music in general... The audience probably also includes many who already feel at home and familiar with Palestrina ...an accessible and comprehensive study ...apposite choice of examples and delicate evaluations ...Self-published to a very high standard ...what is now the best introductory volume ....Jonathan Boswell s excellent contribution will suit the general reader and inquiring specialist very well indeed (Mark Sealey MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL).&