Italian composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525–1594) is considered as a leading composer of the late 16th-century. He was a prolific composer of music for the Catholic Church, with more than 100 surviving settings of the Latin Mass and over 250 motets. The composer was born “Giovanni Pierluigi” but acquired the surname of Palestrina from the name of his birthplace, a hill town near Rome. He was a choirboy at Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome but returned to his birthplace when he was 18 or 19 and was appointed organist. He began composing in the next few years, and his music was noticed by the Bishop of Palestrina. When the bishop became Pope Julius III in 1550, he appointed the young Palestrina as choirmaster of the Julian Chapel of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Palestrina worked in other major Roman churches in subsequent years, but returned to the Julian Chapel as choirmaster in 1571, where he remained for the rest of his life.
To celebrate the quincentenary of the composer’s birth, Salford Cathedral Choir will be holding a choral workshop day exploring the sacred music of Palestrina on Saturday 1 February 2025 in Cathedral House, 250 Chapel Street, Salford M3 5LE.
Led by Director of Music, Alex Patterson, the workshop will be an engaging deep dive into the music of one of the master’s of renaissance polyphony, focusing on choral gems such as ‘Sicut Cervus’, ‘Exsultate Deo’, and the intricately beautiful ‘Missa Papae Marcelli’.
The workshop will run from 10am – 5pm with breaks throughout the day. Participants should be able to read music and feel comfortable at some sight singing. All sheet music will be provided on the day and available digitally beforehand.
Fee: £12
