One of the major composers of the 16th Century, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina served as a model for future generations of musicians. Palestrina’s music represents the highest point in musical accomplishment of the century. Palestrina was the first master of the polyphonic techniques. Palestrina lived and worked in Rome: at the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Cappella Giulia at St. Peter's and at St. John Lateran.