Before the 1500’s, music was much less complicated than it is today. Most music was written for a single melody line- either a voice or an instrument- with either very simple accompaniment or none at all. During the 1500’s in Europe there was an explosion of artistic creativity called the “Renaissance” after the French word for “rebirth”. During this period composers began finding new and innovative ways of combining different voices and instruments together so that they played in harmony with each other. One of the most famous composers from this time was Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, who created some of the most beautiful music for choir ever written.

 

There’s a legend, which may or may not be true, about a Mass for choir written by Palestrina called the Missa Papae Marcelli. According to the story, the Catholic church at the time was concerned about the new style of music that was being created, and was considering banning it from use during church services. Palestrina wrote the Missa Papae Marcelli in order to prove to the Pope that this new music was worth keeping. The piece was so beautiful that the Pope lifted the ban immediately.