Pope Leo XIV Praises Palestrina and Polyphony "a musical form full of meaning, for prayer and for Christian life” on 500th Anniversary - FULL TEXT
Pope Leo XIV met the participants of the event organized by the Domenico Bartolucci Foundation for the 500th anniversary of the birth of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: his compositions "closely unite music and liturgy" and give "prayer a more gentle expression and favor unanimity"
It occurred on the evening of June 18, in the Sala Regia of the Apostolic Palace, the Pope's speech emphasized the importance of polyphony as a musical form for bringing liturgical texts to the hearts of the faithful and celebrated the figure and works of Palestrina. "After listening to these angelic voices, it would almost be better not to speak and leave us with this beautiful experience", joked the Pontiff, after hearing the Foundation's choir sing Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli . The event organized by the Foundation included a concert on June 15 and an official stamp issue in collaboration with the Vatican Post Office.
FULL TEXT ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIVTO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE EVENT PROMOTED
BY THE DOMENICO BARTOLUCCI FOUNDATION
ON THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF GP DA PALESTRINA
Royal Hall of the Apostolic Palace - Wednesday, June 18, 2025
___________________________________
Dear brothers and sisters, good evening!
After listening to these angelic voices, it would almost be better not to speak and leave us with this beautiful experience…
I would like to greet His Eminence Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, Sister Raffaella Petrini, the esteemed Speakers and the illustrious guests. I am happy to participate in this meeting in which, with words and music, we celebrate the new Philatelic Issue promoted by the Bartolucci Foundation and produced by the Vatican Post Office on the occasion of the Palestrinian Five Hundredth Anniversary.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was, in the history of the Church, one of the composers who contributed most to the promotion of sacred music, for "the glory of God and the sanctification and edification of the faithful" (St. Pius X, Motu proprio Inter plurimas pastoralis officii sollicitudines , 22 November 1903, 1), in the delicate, and at the same time exciting, context of the Counter-Reformation. His compositions, solemn and austere, inspired by Gregorian chant, closely unite music and liturgy, "both by giving prayer a more gentle expression and fostering unanimity, and by enriching the sacred rites with greater solemnity" (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium , 112).
Polyphony itself, moreover, is a musical form full of meaning, for prayer and for Christian life. First of all, in fact, it is inspired by the Sacred Text, which it aims to "clothe with appropriate melody" ( Inter sollicitudines , 1) so that it may better reach "the intelligence of the faithful" ( ibid .). Furthermore, it achieves this goal by entrusting the words to several voices, each of which repeats them in its own and original way, with varied and complementary melodic and harmonic movements. Finally, it harmonizes everything thanks to the skill with which the composer develops and intertwines the melodies, respecting the rules of counterpoint, making them echo each other, sometimes even creating dissonances, which then find resolution in new chords. The effect of this dynamic unity in diversity - a metaphor for our common journey of faith under the guidance of the Holy Spirit - is to help the listener to enter ever more deeply into the mystery expressed by the words, responding, where appropriate, with responsories or in alternatim .
Precisely thanks to this richness of form and content, the Roman polyphonic tradition, in addition to having left us an immense heritage of art and spirituality, continues to be even today, in the musical field, a point of reference to look to, albeit with the necessary adaptations, in sacred and liturgical composition, so that through singing "the faithful participate fully, consciously and actively in the liturgy" ( Sacrosanctum Concilium , 14), with deep involvement of voice, mind and heart. Of all this, the Missa Papae Marcelli , in its genre, is an example par excellence, as is the precious repertoire of compositions left to us by the unforgettable Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci, illustrious composer and for almost fifty years director of the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir.
I therefore thank all those who made this meeting possible: the Bartolucci Foundation, the Speakers, the Choir and all of you. I remember you in my prayers. Saint Augustine, speaking of the song of the Easter Alleluia, said: "Let us sing it now, my brothers [...]. As wayfarers usually sing, sing but walk [...]. Go forward, go forward in good [...]. Sing and walk! Do not go off the road, do not turn back, do not stop!" ( Sermo 256 , 3). Let us make his invitation our own, especially in this holy time of jubilation. My blessing to all.
FULL TEXT ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIVTO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE EVENT PROMOTED
BY THE DOMENICO BARTOLUCCI FOUNDATION
ON THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF GP DA PALESTRINA
Royal Hall of the Apostolic Palace - Wednesday, June 18, 2025
___________________________________
Dear brothers and sisters, good evening!
After listening to these angelic voices, it would almost be better not to speak and leave us with this beautiful experience…
I would like to greet His Eminence Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, Sister Raffaella Petrini, the esteemed Speakers and the illustrious guests. I am happy to participate in this meeting in which, with words and music, we celebrate the new Philatelic Issue promoted by the Bartolucci Foundation and produced by the Vatican Post Office on the occasion of the Palestrinian Five Hundredth Anniversary.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was, in the history of the Church, one of the composers who contributed most to the promotion of sacred music, for "the glory of God and the sanctification and edification of the faithful" (St. Pius X, Motu proprio Inter plurimas pastoralis officii sollicitudines , 22 November 1903, 1), in the delicate, and at the same time exciting, context of the Counter-Reformation. His compositions, solemn and austere, inspired by Gregorian chant, closely unite music and liturgy, "both by giving prayer a more gentle expression and fostering unanimity, and by enriching the sacred rites with greater solemnity" (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium , 112).
Polyphony itself, moreover, is a musical form full of meaning, for prayer and for Christian life. First of all, in fact, it is inspired by the Sacred Text, which it aims to "clothe with appropriate melody" ( Inter sollicitudines , 1) so that it may better reach "the intelligence of the faithful" ( ibid .). Furthermore, it achieves this goal by entrusting the words to several voices, each of which repeats them in its own and original way, with varied and complementary melodic and harmonic movements. Finally, it harmonizes everything thanks to the skill with which the composer develops and intertwines the melodies, respecting the rules of counterpoint, making them echo each other, sometimes even creating dissonances, which then find resolution in new chords. The effect of this dynamic unity in diversity - a metaphor for our common journey of faith under the guidance of the Holy Spirit - is to help the listener to enter ever more deeply into the mystery expressed by the words, responding, where appropriate, with responsories or in alternatim .
Precisely thanks to this richness of form and content, the Roman polyphonic tradition, in addition to having left us an immense heritage of art and spirituality, continues to be even today, in the musical field, a point of reference to look to, albeit with the necessary adaptations, in sacred and liturgical composition, so that through singing "the faithful participate fully, consciously and actively in the liturgy" ( Sacrosanctum Concilium , 14), with deep involvement of voice, mind and heart. Of all this, the Missa Papae Marcelli , in its genre, is an example par excellence, as is the precious repertoire of compositions left to us by the unforgettable Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci, illustrious composer and for almost fifty years director of the Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir.
I therefore thank all those who made this meeting possible: the Bartolucci Foundation, the Speakers, the Choir and all of you. I remember you in my prayers. Saint Augustine, speaking of the song of the Easter Alleluia, said: "Let us sing it now, my brothers [...]. As wayfarers usually sing, sing but walk [...]. Go forward, go forward in good [...]. Sing and walk! Do not go off the road, do not turn back, do not stop!" ( Sermo 256 , 3). Let us make his invitation our own, especially in this holy time of jubilation. My blessing to all.
Source: Vatican.va
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