Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
500th Anniversary of His Birth

SCHOLA ROMANA ENSEMBLE
Paola Alonzi (Sulamith) – soprano
Franco Todde (Solomon) – tenor and Renaissance guitar
Lorenzo Sabene – lute
Stefano Sabene – Renaissance transverse flute

The Song of Songs is considered the greatest love poem of all time.

Palestrina chose this biblical text in his Fourth Book of Motets to explore a unique compositional style—midway between sacred motet and secular madrigal—as he himself declared in the original 1587 edition.

Though he never abandoned the polyphonic language—of which he represents both the pinnacle and the conclusion—Canticum Canticorum is the most “theatrical” of all compositions by the Princeps musicae. It even seems to foreshadow the early experiments of recitar cantando, which would soon lead to the birth of opera.

From this musicological foundation comes our interpretative approach, which differs from the traditional a cappella setting. Only the melodic lines of the two main characters, Sulamith and Solomon, are sung; the remaining lines are performed instrumentally using flute, Renaissance guitar, and lute. This creates a richly textured soundscape that ranges from the expansive phrasing and sonorous density of voices and flute to the crystalline lightness of plucked strings.

Our “representative” interpretation is conveyed through vocal roles and a variety of musical arrangements, crafted to bring to life the vivid imagery painted by the sacred text’s author—marked by the “time of singing” (Song 2:12), with changing seasons, day and night, blowing winds, and moving stars.

This sense of time is masterfully captured in Palestrina’s music, which evokes—more than many words or commentaries—the colors, sounds, and fragrances of the Middle Eastern setting in which the characters move.

The concert program provides the original Latin texts alongside modern-language translations, allowing listeners to fully appreciate the musical greatness that elevates the sublime lyricism of the verses.

Special thanks to the Accademia Vivarium Novum for graciously hosting this event at the magnificent Villa Falconieri.

Festival of Sacred Music

Presented with the support of the Lazio Region