How did parody technique shape many masses by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina?

The parody technique was a fundamental compositional method for Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, employed in the greatest number of his masses.1

In this context, the parody technique involved using a preexistent musical work—such as a motet, madrigal, or chanson—as the foundation for a new composition. Rather than relying on a single cantus firmus melody, Palestrina would freely adapt and reorganize the entire polyphonic web of the model, often expanding the material or inserting new sections between borrowed passages.123

By utilizing his own music or that of his contemporaries and predecessors as a starting point, Palestrina demonstrated his technical mastery and ability to integrate borrowed ideas into a cohesive, original structure. This approach allowed him to maintain a high standard of counterpoint while creating works that were both spiritually resonant and formally sophisticated.1