L.L. Palestrina's Missa Brevis

Over the weekend I discovered the Missa Brevis by Palestrina. Particularly, the Kyrie Eleison spoke to me immediately as a possible new favorite. The piece is written in relatively basic chant counterpoint. However, the it contained something I never expected to encounter in chant music, an extreme amount of passion.

So much chant music, despite its beauty, is by definition very placid. This piece was filled with dramatic lines, rich harmonies, and drastic suspensions. The old texts come to life with new creativity.

I saw Palestrina as a bridge between the music we are currently listening to in class, to the future world of music in the Baroque and onward. He was one of many composers of the period, who helped music to grow up.

It seems to embody the best of both worlds, in the creation of a blissful state of passion. The paradox is resolved upon the listening thereof.