In this four-part series, "Protestant Rebellion and the Catholic Reform," Dr. David Allen White discusses the Council of Trent and the Sacred Music of Palestrina; The life and work of William Shakespeare; and Cervantes and Don Quixote.

The Sacred Music of Palestrina
The Tridentine Reform had to tackle the question of music and the liturgy along with many other more strictly doctrinal issues. Dr. David Allen White White discusses in this tape the importance of judging the acceptability of different musical styles, the problems of the use of polyphony in the life of the Church in particular, Palestrina's music as an example of the value of polyphonic music, and the Council of Trent's judgments on the subject.

William Shakespeare - His Life and Work - I
Dr. David Allen White discusses the Catholic themes to be found in William Shakespeare, whose life bridges the time between the Catholic-Protestant struggle for the soul of England and Elizabeth's shaping of it according to an Anglican "middle way" between two "extremes".

William Shakespeare - His Life and Work - II
Working with reference to various plays and poems, Dr. David Allen White evokes here the Catholic themes in Shakespeare, involving everything from an emphasis on the need for Good Works and Penance to an awareness of the reality of Purgatory. Shakespeare's artistic mastery and his Catholic spirit are shown to work together to create his masterpieces.

Cervantes and Don Quixote. Dr. David Allen White deals with one of the greatest Spanish writers of the era, Cervantes, and the genius of his major work, Don Quixote. Once again, the Catholic spirit of the work is evoked, and its relation with the late medieval world, its Renaissance critique, and the issues of the Catholic Reformation era noted.

Taken from: Protestant Rebellion and Catholic Reform (1517-1648) - 1997 Von Hildebrand Institute