Palestrina, Giovanni, pal uhs TREE nuh or pah lay STREE nah, joh VAHN nee (1525?-1594), was one of the greatest composers of the Italian Renaissance. For the Roman Catholic Church, Palestrina wrote about 250 unaccompanied choral works called motets, and 93 masses. Two of his most famous works are the mass called Missa Papae Marcelli (about 1562) and his setting of the Stabat Mater (about 1563). He also composed unaccompanied nonreligious choral pieces called madrigals. The most famous is Vestiva i colli (1566).