The Glory of Polyphony

[doversoul1]

The promised six-part series starting on this coming Sunday at 11.30pm.

Peter Phillips begins his six-part series celebrating the Glory of Polyphony.
[…]
In this first programme, Peter will delve into the lives and music of two contrasting Italian composers: Giovanni da Palestrina and Carlo Gesualdo. Palestrina was arguably the most venerated composer of his generation and a "safe pair of hands" for the Vatican, whilst the anti-establishment prince Carlo Gesualdo's infamous personal darkness coloured his dissonant and dramatic music.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b527p4

... whilst the anti-establishment prince Carlo Gesualdo's infamous personal darkness coloured his dissonant and dramatic music

This sounds a bit like a quick summary of a wiki page.

[Serial_Apologist]

The promised six-part series starting on this coming Sunday at 11.30pm.

Peter Phillips begins his six-part series celebrating the Glory of Polyphony.
[…]
In this first programme, Peter will delve into the lives and music of two contrasting Italian composers: Giovanni da Palestrina and Carlo Gesualdo. Palestrina was arguably the most venerated composer of his generation and a "safe pair of hands" for the Vatican, whilst the anti-establishment prince Carlo Gesualdo's infamous personal darkness coloured his dissonant and dramatic music.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b527p4

... whilst the anti-establishment prince Carlo Gesualdo's infamous personal darkness coloured his dissonant and dramatic music

This sounds a bit like a quick summary of a wiki page.

Thanks dovers.

If this is the programme and subject I've long been waiting for, I would hope it goes further than dealing just with Gesualdo - which I imagine it will.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

"anti-establishment prince".

There's something there that doesn't seem quite right, but I can't put my finger on what ....

[BBMmk2]

Thanks for the thumbs up, Dover! Will have to catch up on this, the timing!

[LeMartinPecheur]

The promised six-part series starting on this coming Sunday at 11.30pm.

Peter Phillips begins his six-part series

Peter Phil(l)ips c1561-1628?

[doversoul1]

Tonight 11.30pm.

[doversoul1]

As it was, the first programme nicely followed Early Music Late. Peter Phillips sounded rather uncomfortable being in a role of ‘listeners’ friend’ and having to talk about ‘when I was nine (was it eight?) year old...’ etc. but when he got to the second half and started talking about Gesualdo, he sounded much more like himself as a scholar/performer. Most of what he talked about was, I guess, pre-basics to the choral scholars and experts on the forum but I found it a rate treat on Radio 3 these days. I am very much looking forward to the next programme.

[jean]

...having to talk about ‘when I was nine (was it eight?) year old...’ etc.

He didn't have to, not did he have to tell us he'd conducted Papae Marcelli a hundred and eighty seven times (or whatever it was)!

I wanted a series like this to tell me more about the development of polyphony, and starting with Palestrina was never going to do that. But the examples were well chosen, and illustrated what S-A mentioned elsewhere recently - that is, Palestrina's move to a more vertical, homophonic style.

I fell asleep during Gesualdo, and haven't Listened Again yet.

[DracoM]

<< starting with Palestrina was never going to do that. >>

Couldn't agree more!! Sorry, for me it was a patronising, massive let down.
It was suspiciously close to an excuse to play 'comforting tracks' - the brief from the BBC's editorial unit. PP sounded pretty restless and uncomfortable much of the way through, possibly because of such production constraints? With his scholarly / knowledge base, that is hardly surprising. And as usual, we, the listeners, were the losers.

[greenilex]

Haven’t caught up on this yet.

Do people know of a good online academic approach to this topic (development of polyphony in ecclesiastical and secular settings)? Or a book?

[DracoM]

https://www.realmofhistory.com/2017/04/12/earliest-practical-polyphonic-music-europe/

Interesting / possible start?

[Serial_Apologist]

<< starting with Palestrina was never going to do that. >>

Couldn't agree more!! Sorry, for me it was a patronising, massive let down.
It was suspiciously close to an excuse to play 'comforting tracks' - the brief from the BBC's editorial unit. PP sounded pretty restless and uncomfortable much of the way through, possibly because of such production constraints? With his scholarly / knowledge base, that is hardly surprising. And as usual, we, the listeners, were the losers.

This was as I had suspected...

[doversoul1]

He didn't have to, not did he have to tell us he'd conducted Papae Marcelli a hundred and eighty seven times (or whatever it was)!

I’m almost sure that it was in his ‘job description’ to include some ‘personal experiences’. That was why he sounded so uncomfortable.

As to the programme, it could have been more academic but there are many sincere listeners, the listeners who take listening to music seriously but do not have the specialist knowledge to follow what suits many members on the forum. Beginners can learn a lot of things the experts have long forgotten that they too learned it once upon a time. All that besides, I hope the programme will develop into Stage 2 and beyond.

[Serial_Apologist]

I’m almost sure that it was in his ‘job description’ to include some ‘personal experiences’. That was why he sounded so uncomfortable.

As to the programme, it could have been more academic but there are many sincere listeners, the listeners who take listening to music seriously but do not have the specialist knowledge to follow what suits many members on the forum. Beginners can learn a lot of things the experts have long forgotten that they too learned it once upon a time. All that besides, I hope the programme will develop into Stage 2 and beyond.

But beginning a series on polyphony with composers of the High Renaissance is like teaching a child to run before it can crawl!

[Joseph K]

But beginning a series on polyphony with composers of the High Renaissance is like teaching a child to run before it can crawl!

Not necessarily, they would just be best to look at two part counterpoint, of which admittedly there are scant examples in that period of music history.