Post Description

It can be difficult to separate myth from reality in the life of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. He was one of the most highly acclaimed musicians of the sixteenth century, but was not the "Savior of Church Music." He did write a tremendous number of musical works, refining the very musical style of his time. He did not single-handedly transmit The Way to Write Spiritual Music, but apparently he was a diligent and reasonably pious family man, hard-nosed in his business dealings and savvy in manipulating professional contacts. He was not a priest, though he once considered Holy Orders after losing a wife and two sons to the plague. The balance and elegant moderation of his music may derive more from conservative melodic and harmonic style than from divine mediation. But centuries after his death, Palestrina's music is still actively serving devotional needs across the world, and echoes of his first biographer's awe still cling to his name.
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/giovanni-pierluigi-da-palestrina-mn0001213399

Music is the largest single item in the Westminster Cathedral's budget. It operates a full-time choral school for its choristers, where each child is required to learn two instruments in addition to vocal studies. Westminster Cathedral is the only church in the world that celebrates a fully sung mass every day.