
Why was Pope Marcellus Mass written?
What we know: Palestrina wrote this mass most likely in 1562 to honor the late Pope Marcellus II, who reigned for 3 weeks during 1555.
Who wrote the Pope Marcellus Mass?
Giovanni Pierluigi da PalestrinaMissa Papae Marcelli / ComposerGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was an Italian composer of late Renaissance music. The central representative of the Roman School, with Orlande de Lassus and Tomás Luis de Victoria, Palestrina is considered the leading composer of late 16th-century Europe. Wikipedia
When was Missa Papae Marcelli Kyrie composed?
The mass was composed in honor of Pope Marcellus II, who reigned for three weeks in 1555. Recent scholarship suggests the most likely date of composition is 1562, when it was copied into a manuscript at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.
What was Palestrina's great accomplishment in his Pope Marcellus Mass?
With the Pope Marcellus Mass, Palestrina satisfied the new requirements of the Catholic Church without abandoning his musical values. His Mass was beautiful and expressive, but also modest and clear. He has succeeded in producing art that served the requirements of worship.
What texture is Pope Marcellus Mass?
The Catholic Church stressed that the Latin text must be made perfectly clear within the music, which is best achieved with a simple monophonic texture.
What is the tempo of Pope Marcellus Mass?
Missa Papae Marcelli, "Pope Marcellus Mass": Kyrie is a very sad song by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina with a tempo of 61 BPM. It can also be used double-time at 122 BPM. The track runs 4 minutes and 38 seconds long with a A key and a major mode.
What makes the Pope Marcellus Mass acapella quizlet?
Palestrina's Pope Marcellus Mass was probably intended for a cappella performance. Palestrina's Gloria from the Pope Marcellus Mass belongs to the Proper, the variable part of the Mass celebration. Which of the following make up the sections of the Mass Ordinary?
How many voice parts are required to seeing the Pope Marcellus Mass?
The Pope Marcellus Mass was written for six voice parts. Palestrina's Pope Marcellus Mass is a setting of the Mass Ordinary. During the Renaissance, the Mass was recited and sung in the vernacular (the language of the people).
What is the harmony of Pope Marcellus Mass Gloria?
Gloria from Pope Marcellus Mass was composed by Palestrina as a sacred choral work performed purely in 6-part choirs including a soprano, an alto, two tenors, and a bass. Its texture is mixed mostly by homorhythmic and particular parts of polyphony.
Which of the following describe Palestrina's Gloria from the Pope Marcellus Mass which do not?
Which of the following describes Palestrina's Gloria from the Pope Marcellus Mass? Palestrina's Pope Marcellus Mass is a setting of the Mass Ordinary. Which part of the Mass Ordinary is not in Latin?
What desire of the Council of Trent does the Pope Marcellus Mass reflect?
Palestrina's Pope Marcellus Mass reflects the Catholic Church's belief that heavenly sounds produced by trained professionals would be more spiritually powerful than the rough song of an untrained congregation.
What type of music did Palestrina compose?
The range of Palestrina's musical output was staggering: as well as masses, he composed secular madrigals, hymns, and a set of rather wonderful motets.
What makes the Pope Marcellus Mass acapella quizlet?
Palestrina's Pope Marcellus Mass was probably intended for a cappella performance. Palestrina's Gloria from the Pope Marcellus Mass belongs to the Proper, the variable part of the Mass celebration. Which of the following make up the sections of the Mass Ordinary?
Who was Pope Marcellus?
Pope Marcellus II (Italian: Marcello II; 6 May 1501 – 1 May 1555), born Marcello Cervini degli Spannochi, was Bishop of Rome and hence head of the Catholic Church and at that time ruler of the Papal States from 9 April 1555 until his death 22 days later. He succeeded Pope Julius III.
For what voices or instruments were madrigals written?
Madrigals were originally published for professional singers and for amateur singers of high standard. They were issued not in score, as is the 20th-century custom, but in the form of part books, each one of which contained only the music necessary for one line—soprano, alto, tenor, bass, or any intermediate voice.
What is Gloria in Mass?
In a Rite Two (i.e., contemporary language) service of Holy Eucharist, the Gloria, or another song of praise, is sung or said on all Sundays except those in Advent or Lent. It may also be used at other times as desired excepting Lent and Advent.
What is the style of Missa Papae Marcelli?
Style. The Missa Papae Marcelli consists, like most Renaissance masses, of a Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus / Benedictus, and Agnus Dei, though the third part of the Agnus Dei is a separate movement (designated "Agnus II"). The mass is freely composed, not based upon a cantus firmus, paraphrase, or parody.
What is Missa Papae Marcelli used for?
In the latter part of the 20th century, the Missa Papae Marcelli has been recorded frequently, and is often used as a model for the study of stile antico Renaissance polyphony in university courses on music.
How many Masses did Palestrina sing?
Palestrina was there as well...they sang three Masses, of which the Pope Marcellus Mass was the last...The greatest and most incessant praise was given to the third, which was extraordinarily acclaimed and, by virtue of its entirely novel character, astonished even the performers themselves.
What is the santus in music?
This was a new technique, using "tonal planning" to replace imitation as the means to keep the music moving forward.
Who was the first to believe that music such as Palestrina's was all too beautiful to ban from?
It was believed that the simple, declamatory style of Missa Papae Marcelli convinced Cardinal Carlo Borromeo, on hearing, that polyphony could be intelligible, and that music such as Palestrina's was all too beautiful to ban from the Church . In 1607, the composer Agostino Agazzari wrote:
Who was the savior of polyphony?
Jesuit musicians of the 17th century maintained this rumor, and it made its way into music history books into the 19th century, when historian Giuseppe Baini, in his 1828 biography of Palestrina, couched him as the "savior of polyphony" from a council wishing to wipe it out entirely: On Saturday, 28 April 1565, by order of Cardinal Vitellozzi, ...
Did Baini mention the Missa Papae Marcelli?
An entry in the papal chapel diaries confirms that a meeting such as the one described by Baini occurred, but no mention is made of whether the Missa Papae Marcelli was performed there or what the reaction of the audience was.
When did Marcellus become bishop?
Nevertheless, nearly two years passed before a new bishop of Rome was elected. Then in 308, according to the Catalogus Liberianus, Marcellus first entered on his office: "He was bishop in the time of Maxentius, from the 4th consulship of Maxentius when Maximus was his colleague, until after the consulship.".
Who was the Pope of Rome in 309?
Pope Marcellus I. Pope Marcellus I (6 January 255 – 16 January 309) was the bishop of Rome from May or June 308 to his death. He succeeded Marcellinus after a considerable interval.
How many parish churches did Liber Pontificalis have?
The Liber Pontificalis says: "He established a cemetery on the Via Salaria, and he appointed 25 parish churches as dioceses in the city of Rome to provide baptism and penance for the many who were converted among the pagans and burial for the martyrs.".
What was the Pope's work interrupted by?
The work of the pope was, however, quickly interrupted by the controversies to which the question of the readmittance of the lapsi into the Church gave rise. As to this, we gather some light from the poetic tribute composed by Pope Damasus I in memory of his predecessor and placed over his grave (De Rossi, "Inscr. christ. urbis Romæ", II, 62, 103, 138; cf. Idem, "Roma sotterranea", II, 204–5). Damasus relates that Marcellus was looked upon as a wicked enemy by all the lapsed, because he insisted that they should perform the prescribed penance for their guilt. As a result, serious conflicts arose, some of which ended in bloodshed, and every bond of peace was broken. At the head of this band of dissenters was an apostate who had denied the Faith even before the outbreak of persecution. The tyrannical Maxentius had the pope seized and sent into exile. This took place at the end of 308 or the beginning of 309 according to the passages cited above from the Catalogus Liberianus, which gives the length of the pontificate as no more than one year, six (or seven) months, and twenty days. Marcellus died shortly after leaving Rome, and was venerated as a saint.
Why was Marcellus a wicked enemy?
Damasus relates that Marcellus was looked upon as a wicked enemy by all the lapsed, because he insisted that they should perform the prescribed penance for their guilt. As a result, serious conflicts arose, some of which ended in bloodshed, and every bond of peace was broken.
How many districts did Marcellus divide?
Pontificate. According to the Liber Pontificalis, Marcellus divided the territorial administration of the Church into twenty-five districts (tituli), appointing over each a priest, who saw to the preparation of the catechumens for baptism and directed the performance of public penances.
What is the 5th century Passio Marcelli?
A 5th-century "Passio Marcelli", which is included in the legendary account of the martyrdom of St. Cyriacus (cf. Acta Sanct., Jan., II, 10–14) and is followed by the Liber Pontificalis, gives a different account of the end of Marcellus.

Overview
History
The mass was composed in honor of Pope Marcellus II, who reigned for three weeks in 1555. Recent scholarship suggests the most likely date of composition is 1562, when it was copied into a manuscript at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.
The third and closing sessions of the Council of Trent were held in 1562–63, at which the use of polyphonic music in the Catholic Church was discussed. Concerns were raised over two proble…
Style
The Missa Papae Marcelli consists, like most Renaissance masses, of a Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus/Benedictus, and Agnus Dei, though the third part of the Agnus Dei is a separate movement (designated "Agnus II"). The mass is freely composed, not based upon a cantus firmus, paraphrase, or parody. Perhaps because of this, the mass is not as thematically consistent as Palestrina's masses based on models. It is primarily a six-voice mass, but voice combinations ar…
Analysis
Missa Papae Marcelli does not (as far as is known) make use of any pre-existing theme. The motif of a rising perfect fourth and stepwise return (illustrated) is used extensively throughout this mass. It is similar in profile to the opening of the French secular song "L'homme armé", which provided the theme for many Renaissance masses. But this is probably a coincidence, as themes with this profile were common in the 16th century, and Palestrina himself used them in several o…
Further reading
• Bobbitt, Richard (1955). "Harmonic Tendencies in the Missa Papae Marcelli". The Music Review. 16: 273–288.
External links
• Free scores of Missa Papae Marcelli in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)