PALESTRINA, GIOVANNI PIERLUIGI DA 1594), Italian composer, was born in Palestrina (the ancient Praeneste), at the foot of the Sabine mountains, in 1526. He appears in the musical publications and other documents of his day under all manner of designations derived from his birthplace and his baptismal names. The full Latin signature is Joannes Petraloysius Praenestinus ; and the most elusive designation is Gianetto, which has sometimes concealed the authorship of a first-rate Palestrina madrigal.
Palestrina seems to have been at Rome from 1540 to when he is supposed to have studied under Gaudio Mell, a per son of doubtful identity, but not to be confused with Goudimel. On June 12 Palestrina married Lucrezia de Goris. By Lucrezia Palestrina had four sons, three of whom died after showing early promise in compositions published in an earlier volume of their father's works. (Of the three, Ridolfo, Sylla and Angelo, it is thought that Sylla may be a brother or cousin.) The surviving son, Igino, is not viewed with favour by the biographers, who ascribe to him unworthy motives for the publication of certain posthumous works which his father is supposed to have wished suppressed.
Palestrina, more than any other composers except Victoria and Morales, devoted himself wholeheartedly to the service of the Church, and aimed at the perfect harmony of musical art, not only with the spirit of Catholic devotion, but with liturgical con venience in the humblest practical matters. Palestrina's official career as a composer under papal protection began in 1551, when Julius III. had him appointed magister cappellae and magister puerorum at the Cappella Giulia, S. Pietro in Vaticano. Three years later Palestrina published, and dedicated to Pope Julius, his first book of masses. The Missa Ecce sacerdos is a noble if long-winded work, and other masses in the volume show that Julius had chosen one of the greatest composers of his day as an object of his protection. (The beautiful Missa Pro Defunctis was added to later editions.)
In 1555, on Jan. 13, Julius appointed Palestrina a singer in the Sistine chapel. Palestrina's friend, Animuccia (q.v.) succeeded him at the church of S. Giulia. Palestrina enjoyed this position for only seven months. Five weeks after Palestrina's appointment Julius died; his successor, Marcellus II., reigned tor 23 days, and was followed by Paul IV. who, at the end of July, began setting his house in order by pensioning off Palestrina and two other married members of the Sistine choir. A few months later Pales trina was appointed choir-master of the church of St. John Lat eran, but this did not prove to be a full compensation for the loss of his position in the Sistine chapel.
During Palestrina's tenure of his post at St. John Lateran, which he gave up in 1558, he composed a book of Lamentations (i.e., settings of the Holy Week lessons from the Lamentations of Jeremiah) and a book of Magnificats for all the eight Am brosian tones or modes. Neither of these books was published till long after Palestrina's death, and the elaborate Magnificats with their numerous canonic movements in Flemish style were hardly known at all until their inclusion in the modern edition of Palestrina's complete works in score published by Breitkopf and Hartel. Palestrina's famous Lamentations, used in the Sistine chapel and known as his first book, are really his third and last book, being published in 1588. From the earlier period, however, comes an opusculum of enormous importance, closely allied to the later Lamentations in its syllabic declamation, its note-against note harmony, and its profoundly devout pathos. This is the Improperia, sung on Good Friday. The Improperia immediately made a profound impression, and Pope Pius IV. ordered a copy to be made for the Sistine chapel. Palestrina accordingly began again to compose specially for the Papal choir; and in the Missa Ut Re Mi Fa Sol La we find the perfectly mature Palestrina style in a work constructed on the quaintest of Flemish formulas.