Palestrina style
Model a cappella writing after Palestrina; the basis of counterpoint teaching.
What it means
The Palestrina style denotes the vocal compositional style cultivated in Rome by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525–1594), regarded as the model of sacred vocal polyphony of the Renaissance. Its hallmarks are a calm, flowing course of melodies with mainly small steps, a balanced sonority and a strictly regulated treatment of dissonance, which occurs only prepared or as a passing note.
Musical use
After the Council of Trent (1545–1563) the Church demanded that the text remain intelligible in sacred works. Palestrina's Masses and motets were regarded as exemplary: the legend that his Missa Papae Marcelli saved polyphonic church music is historically uncertain but shows his standing. Johann Joseph Fux built on this style his textbook Gradus ad Parnassum (1725), which describes the species of counterpoint and shaped the teaching of composition into the 20th century.
The Palestrina style should be distinguished from the vocal polyphony of the Franco-Flemish school with its denser imitation and from the style of the baroque, which uses instruments and figured bass.
Performance practice
When you sing in the Palestrina style, pay attention to calm breathing and even voice-leading. Each voice has its own line; shape dissonances with gentle emphasis and resolve them carefully.