Autumn Talk – Palestrina, The Musician and The Man
14 October, 2025 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
A talk by Jeremy Summerly - If you'd like to attend please RSVP to the Parish Office for catering purposes as a light supper is provided.
Palestrina has the reputation of providing the gold-standard of late-16th century sacred composition. His music is still performed regularly throughout the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. Music students study his music closely to this day, not least because his style is seen as consistent and therefore possible to pastiche. In this talk, Jeremy Summerly will show how Palestrina embodies the idea of greatness in a Renaissance composer, and how his music both challenged and supported the Catholicism of Rome in the age of the Counter-Reformation. While Palestrina remains unassailable as one of the finest composers of any period, it should be remembered that he was also a human being who suffered personal tragedy and loss. But Palestrina loved the colour of money and was a successful businessman – a furrier, indeed. So, was Palestrina a beatific figure serving the church with impeccable theological credentials? Or was he an opportunist trying to get financially ahead in challenging times? The answer is both; so come and find out how and why Palestrina lived and died a wealthy composer for the church.