A salute to Renaissance music
Image above: A page from a book of music by Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, part of the Burns Library collection.
A trio of events hosted by the Boston College Music Department will celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of renowned Italian composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and the return of Dutch vocal ensemble Cappella Pratensis.
Cappella Pratensis, which previously visited Boston College last October, will join with Daniele Filippi, a professor at Italy’s University of Turin, to present a hands-on exploration of Renaissance vocal music on October 29 at noon in Gasson 100. Rare music books from the Burns Library will be exhibited, and a free lunch will follow.
At 7 p.m. that evening in St. Mary’s Chapel, a Cappella Pratensis concert of requiems by Renaissance masters Ockeghem and Pierre de la Rue will bring sacred Franco-Flemish vocal music into conversation with paintings from the Frascione Collection in Florence currently featured in the McMullen Museum of Art exhibition “Medieval | Renaissance: A Dialogue on Early Italian Painting.” The repertoire—chosen because it exemplifies the music composed and performed in settings where the art from the Frascione Collection was discovered—will evoke a contemplative space for reflection, say organizers.
On October 31, the Burns Library and the Music Department will host a 500th anniversary celebration for Palestrina, who composed both secular music as well as an enormous amount of sacred music for the papal Church, and is particularly known for his use of polyphony, a musical style where many melodies play simultaneously.
The event, which takes place at 4:30 p.m. in the Burns Library Thompson Room, will explore the legacy of Palestrina through print and performance, with a lecture-recital featuring Tufts University Emerita Professor Jane Bernstein, Filippi, and Cappella Pratensis. A reception will follow. Admission to this event is by online registration only.
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Michael Noone (Lee Pellegrini)
Discussing the career of Palestrina, Professor of Music Michael Noone pointed to his use of polyphony as one of his signal achievements.
“We’re used to the idea of voice and accompaniment—that is one voice being dominant, perhaps being the only voice. But polyphony isn’t like that at all: All the voices are sounding, and all are heard.”
It’s that sentiment which helps Palestrina’s music endure, he said, and explains the worldwide celebrations of the 500th anniversary of his birth. At a June event in the Vatican commemorating the anniversary, Pope Leo XIV described polyphony by saying “This dynamic unity in diversity is a metaphor for our shared journey of faith under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”
A portrait of Palestrina is visible within the frescos in Gasson 100, which Noone said offers a reminder that much of Renaissance culture is Catholic culture. He noted that the Cappella Pratensis’ residency offers the BC community a perfect opportunity to appreciate Palestrina’s music.
“Cappella Pratensis specializes in polyphony,” said Noone. “The Burns Library owns a very rare, atlas-sized choir book of Palestrina’s, published in 1570. The group will be performing from facsimiles of the book, alongside a select group of voice students. It’s a great opportunity for the students to meet really top-notch professionals.”
The upcoming events also offer a means for the BC community to engage with music from the Renaissance, he added.
“Boston College Libraries house a treasure trove of musical scores, but they are mute, even lifeless,” Noone explained. “What we’re doing is bringing together the musicians to sing and to bring that music alive.”
The event series is sponsored by the Music Department in collaboration with Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., the Institute for the Liberal Arts, Boston College Libraries, the Department for Romance Languages and Literatures, the Jesuit Community of Boston College, and the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies.