Pierluigi Da Palestrina – Missarum liber primus (Triple Album)

When the Missarum liber primus saw the light in Rome, printed by the Dorico brothers in 1554, Palestrina (most likely born between the end of 1525 and the beginning of 1526) was about 29 years old. The young age of the composer is surprising if related to the artistic maturity of this work; even more so if one considers that any of the five masses contained in the collection had presumably already been composed in the preceding years.

At that time, however, the musician was already an established composer and covered the important position of chapel master at the Julian Chapel in St. Peter’s. Soon after he would consolidate his position in the city also as a musician, when he was called to represent Roman musical professionalism with a significant contribution to the miscellaneous collection of profane music published under the title Le Muse (from 1555 to 1575), a prelude to the establishment of that Compagnia dei musici di Roma which was later to assume the invocation of the Santa Cecilia and to transform itself into the current Accademia.

It therefore appears only natural that today the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, which was once his own Academy and saw him as its Prince, pays the due attention to him and programs the complete performance of his works.

Coro Polifonico Dell’ Accademie Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia
Roberto Gabbiani, Conductor