The Italian Renaissance music genre, emerging during the 14th to the early 17th centuries, denotes a period of innovation and transformation in European classical music. This era was characterized by the flourishing of vocal and instrumental compositions and the progressive shift from medieval modal harmony to tonal organization, underpinned by the development of new musical technologies and notation systems. Harmony grew richer and texture more elaborate, with the rise of polyphony where multiple independent melody lines intertwined. Composers like Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Claudio Monteverdi were pivotal, fostering the transition from Renaissance to Baroque styles. Their sacred and secular pieces, from Palestrina's smooth, ethereal masses to Monteverdi's dramatic madrigals and early operas, epitomize the genre's emotive expressiveness and intricate counterpoint, which left an indelible mark on the trajectory of Western classical music.

Palestrina Revealed - Byrd, White, Mundy

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina•

Choir of Clare College, Cambridge•

Graham Ross

Album - 17 Tracks - Released January 10, 2025