Rome, centre of the Western Church and a focus of musical excellence during the renaissance, played host to many of the leading Italian church composers of the day, including Festa, Marenzio and most significant of all, Palestrina. However, Rome was a truly cosmopolitan centre, and so this collection of nine motets draws on works from Spanish composers such as Morales and Victoria, who both worked in Rome for a period of time, and Northerners such as Desprez and Arcadelt, who both sang in the papal choir.