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Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (b. 1524 or 1525, Palestrina, Italy; d. 1594, Rome) Born Giovanni Pierluigi, he later added the name of his native town to his surname. The first known musical fact about “Giannetto” is that he went to Rome to study singing at around age 13. He is listed in 1537 as a member of the Cappella Liberiana at Santa Maria Maggiore. He became organist at the Cathedral of Palestrina and was later appointed director of the Pontifical Choir in the Julian Chapel at St. Peter’s in Rome. Palestrina was primarily a composer of masses and sacred motets. His music is often referred to as the perfect example of Renaissance religious composition because of the degree to which he eliminated secular elements in his sacred writing. Many of his masses use plainchant, which he sometimes followed exactly and other times modified in unique ways. His writing is clear and serene, with texts expressively set; his contrapuntal lines are elegantly balanced. Palestrina’s counterpoint remains a model for music students today. Like many composers of his day, Palestrina adhered to the dictates of the Council of Trent. He maintained his own voice, though. In dedicating a set of motets to Pope Gregory XIII, Palestrina said “I have used a kind of music somewhat livelier than I have been accustomed to use in church music, for this I felt that the subject itself demanded.” This composer's works in St. Martin's Chamber Choir's repertoire: Doctor bonus Missa Papae Marcelli O quantus luctus Stabat Mater