Palestrina and the Popes

BBC on Saturday showed a great programme in their Sacred Music series, entitled 'Palestrina and the Popes', which actually sounds like an excellent band name! Anyhow, you can watch it here on IPlayer. Fantastic insight into Palestrina, the man and the development of the polyphony which continues to astonish congregations and concert audiences around the globe. I have an aunt who sings in a choir who tour around the World and she says she loves singing Palestrina.

Hopefully, one day, the St Mary Magdalen's Choir will tackle something like this. It would be wonderful if we got that good! Apparently, Palestrina was just a small boy more or less busking hymns to the Virgin Mary when he was spotted by a priest from St Mary Major, Rome and was invited to join their choir. He went on to become a composer and the rest, as they say, is history. What an incredible man and what an incredible sound. Thought I'd put a Marian composition up for Our Lady's Birthday. Enjoy!