ed it eloquently, saying John Peter Louis of Palestrina was a new
John, bringing down to the church militant the harmonies of that
"new song" which John the Apostle heard in the Holy City. The
musician-pope, Gregory XIII, to whom Palestrina dedicated his grandest
motets, entrusted him with the sacred task of revising the ancient
chant. Pope Sixtus V greatly praised his beautiful mass, "Assumpta est
Maria" and promoted him to higher honors.

With this encouragement and patronage, Palestrina labored five years
at the Lateran, ten years at Santa Maria Maggiore and twenty three at
Saint Peter's. At the last named it was his second term, of course,
but it continued from 1571 to his death. He was happy in his work, in
his home and in his friends. He also saved quite a little money and
was able to give his daughter-in-law, in 1577, 1300 scudi; he is known
indeed, to have bought land, vineyards and houses in and about Rome.

All was not a life of sunshine for Palestrina, for he suffered many
domestic sorrows. His three promising sons died one after another.
They were talented young men, who might have followed in the footsteps
of their distinguished father. In 1580 his wife died also. Yet neither
poignant sorrow, worldly glory nor ascetic piety blighted his homely
affections. At the Jubilee of Pope Gregory XIII, in 1575, when 1500
pilgrims from the town of Palestrina descended the hills on the way
to Rome, it was their old townsman, Giovanni Pierluigi, who led their
songs, as they entered the Eternal City, their maidens clad in white
robes, and their young men bearing olive branches.

It is said of Palestrina that he became the "savior of church music,"
at a time when it had almost been decided to banish all music from the
service except the chant, because so many secular subjects had been
set to music and used in church. Things had come to a very difficult
pass, until at last the fathers turned to Palestrina, desiring him
to compose a mass in which sacred words should be heard throughout.
Palestrina, deeply realizing his responsibility, wrote not only one
but three, which, on being heard, pleased greatly by their piety,
meekness, and beautiful spirit. Feeling more sure of himself,
Palestrina continued to compose masses, until he had created
ninety-three in all. He also wrote many motets on the Song of Solomon,
his Stabat Mater, which was edited two hundred and fifty years later
by Richard Wagner, and his lamentations, which