# Palestrina's Masses



## gvn

No substantial body of acknowledged musical masterpieces (of _any_ period, and in _any_ genre) is as inadequately represented on my shelves as Palestrina's Masses. Out of curiosity I recently listed the Masses collected in the 13 original volumes, plus the two supplementary volumes printed from manuscript in the 19th century edition of his works (opera). Alongside each Mass I specified what recordings (if any) I have of it. Here is the list:

*Missarum liber 1 = Opera vol. 10 (1564)*
Missa Ecce sacerdos magnus à 4 
Missa O Regem cœli à 4 
Missa Virtute magna à 4 
Missa Gabriel archangelus à 4 
Missa Ad cœnam Agni à 5 - Brabant Ensemble (Hyperion)
Missa sine nomine [Beata Dei genetrix] à 6 (added 1591) 
Missa pro defunctis (Requiem) à 5 (added 1591)

*Missarum liber 2 = Opera vol. 11 (1567)*
Missa de Beata Virgine à 4 - Bologna Cappella Musicale di St Petronio (Naxos)
Missa Inviolata à 4 
Missa sine nomine à 4 
Missa ad fugam à 4 
Missa Aspice Domine à 5 
Missa Salvum me fac à 5 
Missa Papae Marcelli à 6 - King's College, Cambridge (Warner); Tallis Scholars (Gimell); Oxford Camerata (Naxos)

*Missarum liber 3 = Opera vol. 12 (1570)*
Missa Spem in alium à 4 
Missa Io mi son giovinetta [primi toni] à 4 
Missa brevis à 4 - King's College, Cambridge (Warner); Tallis Scholars (Gimell)
Missa de feria à 4 
Missa L'homme armé à 5 - Sixteen (Coro)
Missa Repleatur os meum à 5 
Missa de Beata Virgine à 6 - Westminster Cathedral (Hyperion)
Missa Ut re mi fa sol la à 6

*Missarum liber 4 = Opera vol. 13 (1582)*
Missa Lauda Sion à 4 - Pro Cantione Antiqua (Alto)
Missa primi toni [secunda] à 4 
Missa Jesu, nostra redemptio à 4 
Missa L'homme armé à 4 
Missa Eripe me de inimicis à 5 
Missa secunda à 4 
Missa tertia [O magnum mysterium] à 5 - Sixteen (Coro)

*Missarum liber 5 = Opera vol. 14 (1590)*
Missa Aeterna Christi munera à 4 - Oxford Camerata (Naxos)
Missa Jam Christus astra ascenderat à 4 - Sixteen (Coro)
Missa Panis quem ego dabo à 4 
Missa Iste confessor à 5 
Missa ***** sum à 5 - Tallis Scholars (Gimell)
Missa Sicut lilium inter spinas à 5 - Tallis Scholars (Gimell)
Missa Nasce la gioia mia à 6 - Tallis Scholars (Gimell)

*Missarum liber 6 = Opera vol. 15 (1594)*
Missa Dies sanctificatus à 4 
Missa In te Domine speravi à 4 
Missa Je suis déshériteé à 4 
Missa Quam pulchra es à 4 
Missa Dilexi quoniam à 5 
Missa Ave Maria à 6 - King's College, Cambridge (Warner)

*Missarum liber 7 = Opera vol. 16 (1594)*
Missa Ave Maria à 4 - Westminster Cathedral (Hyperion)
Missa Sanctorum meritis à 4 
Missa Emendemus in melius à 4 
Missa Sacerdotes et pontifex à 5 
Missa Tu es pastor ovium à 5

*Missarum liber 8 = Opera vol. 17 (1599)*
Missa Quem di**** homines à 4 
Missa Dum esset summus pontifex à 4 
Missa O admirabile commercium à 5 
Missa Memor esto à 5 
Missa Dum complerentur à 6 - Christ Church Cathedral (Nimbus)
Missa Sacerdotes Domini à 6

*Missarum liber 9 = Opera vol. 18 (1599)*
Missa Ave regina cœlorum à 4 - Sixteen (Coro)
Missa Veni sponsa Christi à 4 - St John's College, Cambridge (EMI)
Missa Vestiva i colli à 5 
Missa sine nomine à 5 
Missa In te Domine speravi à 6 
Missa Te Deum laudamus à 6 - Westminster Cathedral (Hyperion)

*Missarum liber 10 = Opera vol. 19 (1600)*
Missa In illo tempore à 4 
Missa Già fu chi' m'ebbe cara à 4 
Missa Petra sancta à 4 
Missa O virgo simul et mater à 5 
Missa quinti toni à 6 
Missa Illumina oculos meos à 6

*Missarum liber 11 = Opera vol. 20 (1600)*
Missa Descendit angelus Domini à 4 - Gloria Dei Cantores (Gloria Dei Cantores)
Missa Regina cœli à 5 
Missa Quando lieta sperai à 5 
Missa octavi toni [Festum nunc celebre] à 6 
Missa Alma Redemptoris mater à 6

*Missarum liber 12 = Opera vol. 21 (1600)*
Missa Regina cœli à 4 - Sixteen (Coro)
Missa O Rex gloriæ à 4 - Westminster Cathedral (Hyperion)
Missa Ascendo ad Patrem à 5 
Missa Qual è il più grand'amore à 5 
Missa Tu es Petrus à 6 - King's College, Cambridge (Argo); Westminster Cathedral (Hyperion)
Missa Viri Galilæi à 6 - Westminster Cathedral (Hyperion)

*Missarum liber 13 = Opera vol. 22 (1601)*
Missa Confitebor tibi à 8 (first published 1585) - Yale Schola Cantorum (Hyperion)
Missa Laudate Dominum à 8 
Missa Hodie Christus natus est à 8 - King's College, Cambridge (Warner); Sixteen (Coro)
Missa Fratres ego enim accepi à 8 - Sixteen (Coro)

*Missarum liber "14" = Opera vol. 23 (1887)*
Missa in majoribus duplicibus à 4 
Missa in minoribus duplicibus à 4 
Missa Beatus Laurentius à 5 
Missa O sacrum convivium à 5 - Christ Church Cathedral (Nimbus)
Missa Assumpta est Maria à 6 - Tallis Scholars (Gimell); Sixteen (Coro)
Missa Veni creator Spiritus à 6

*Missarum liber "15" = Opera vol. 24 (1887)*
Missa Pater noster à 4 - Christ Church Cathedral (Nimbus)
Missa Panem nostrum à 5 
Missa Salve regina à 5 
Missa Benedicta es à 6 
Missa Tu es Petrus à 6 
Missa Ecce ego Joannes à 6 - Christ Church Cathedral (Nimbus)

A woeful tally--I have recordings of only a small minority of them! (And the above list doesn't take into account the handful of other Masses discovered since 1887.)

Is there perhaps some small website somewhere that sells CDs, or even CD-Rs, of a fairly comprehensive collection of these masterworks??


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## SanAntone

Jerome F. Weber is something of an expert on Palestrina's masses and has compiled a discography:

*Palestrina Discography*


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## gvn

Thanks, that's very helpful!


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