Nowadays we may no longer pay attention to this, but, lest we forget, Rome was once not only a spiritual beacon, but also a guiding light of civilisation and art. Called the “Eternal City”, it was a destination for all sorts of artists, who opened notable schools dedicated to the arts and to music. This is why when it comes to sacred music we speak of the “Roman school”, the group of musicians who, over the centuries, produced splendid music for the liturgy.
Saint Pius X spoke well of this school when, in his Motu Proprio of 22 November 1903, referring to the qualities of sacred music, said: “Classic polyphony also possesses the aforementioned qualities to an excellent degree, especially the Roman School, which reached its foremost perfection in the 16th century, thanks to the works of Pierluigi da Palestrina, and went on to produce compositions of excellent quality from a liturgical and musical standpoint. Classic polyphony goes quite well with Gregorian Chant, the supreme model of all sacred music; for this reason, it has found a worthy place next to Gregorian Chant, in the more solemn functions of the Church, like those of the Pontifical Chapel. Therefore, it too must be broadly reinserted in ecclesiastical functions, especially in the most eminent basilicas, in cathedrals, and the churches and chapels of seminaries as well as other ecclesiastical institutions where the necessary means are usually not lacking.” In the past, the pre-eminence of the Roman school was already widely recognised and the role of Palestrina as a model was very clear to all those involved with church music. The pontiffs did nothing but sanction what had already been well understood.
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