16 Pahl ⦁ Palestrina technique. This approach to composing has an influence throughout the entire Mass, which is the reason he was able to accomplish intelligibility,15 but it is especially apparent in this movement. The style of note against note or note against several notes allows the text in each voice to line up for the majority of the movement. In addition to passages that are completely together like the very opening measures, Palestrina briefly offsets the text and notes within the voices to add interest. The syllables are always brought back together quickly, such as at the beginning of the movement where the cantus, altus, tenor II and bassus II are singing Laudamus te. Starting on beat three of measure eight, the cantus, altus, and bassus II sing Laudamus over three half notes and te on the downbeat of measure ten. The tenor II begins with the other voices singing a half note in measure eight, but in measure nine embellishes - da with faster moving notes over three and a half beats. -Mus is placed on the and of beat four instead of beat three with the other voices. On the downbeat of measure ten, however, all the voices line back up and sing te together. (See Example 1). This kind of technique occurs throughout the Gloria. Example 1: Missa Papae Marcelli, Gloria, mm. 8–10 Since imitation blurs the clarity of the text, Palestrina mostly avoids it in the two sections that comprise the Gloria. There are only two instances where he does use it, both occurring at the end of a section. The first one 15 Jeppesen, Style and Dissonance, 41.
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