Claudio Merulo the Organist

Claudio Merulo

Painting: Annibale Carracci

Source: All Music

We pick up Claudio Merulo's career, born 8 April 1533 in Corregio in northern Italy, upon his first association with St. Mark's Basilica in Venice as a young man. His career was about the time that the Franco-Flemish school, which was the major influence on music throughout the Renaissance, began to fade as composers began to battle out counterpoint that would eventually result in Italian baroque. Merulo's arrival to St. Mark's meant the influence of the Venetian school begun by Adrian Willaert upon his own arrival to St. Mark's in 1527. Upon Willaert's death in December of 1562 Cipriano de Rore would briefly inherit the position of maestro di cappella. Gioseffo Zarlino would fill Rore's vacancy of 1564 in 1565.

Among Merulo's fortés were his toccatas, especially so for keyboard since it was about Merulo's time that instrumentals were getting composed in their own right, instruments having largely filled only supportive roles to voice for the last millennium. Toccatas were brief free forms written to display instrumental virtuosity. This new approach arrived in the late 16th century during Merulo's latter career. Merulo also addressed the free form that was the ricercar of recent development via brief preludes which were a way of messing around until finding a motif or key in which to continue with a work. These brief introductions would soon assume fugue counterpoint and bridge into the baroque. Such flights of fancy would later become studies for keyboard practice such as in the etudes of 19th century Chopin. Merulo also authored canzonas descended from the Franco-Flemish chanson in addition to publishing four books of madrigals in 1566, 1579, 1580 and 1604. He otherwise composed largely motets.

Merulo may have first arrived to St. Mark's in the early fifties to study under Zarlino if not Willaert. He was appointed an organist at Old Cathedral in Brescia in 1556, and worked there simultaneously with his appointment as second organist at St. Mark's in 1557. He is highly likely to have been familiar with Zarlino's major treatise, 'Le istitutioni harmoniche', of 1558. He assumed first organ at St. Mark's in 1566, Andrea Gabrieli at second, the same year his first secular works are thought to have been published in Venice in 'Il primo libro de madrigali a cinque voci'. In 1568 Merulo published three alternatim masses in 'Messe d'intavolatura d'organo': 'Missa apostolorum', 'Missa in dominicis diebus' and 'Missa Virginis Mariae'. The practice of alternating choir with organ during mass had been around perhaps a couple hundred years. Versets for organ had begun to appear in the early 16th century. As Merulo wrote numerously for organ or various instruments, most of the works presented herein are instrumentals, particularly organ. Stacking is per publishing dates regardless of when composed.

Kyrie of 'Missa in dominicis diebus'   Organ mass by Claudio Merulo

Pub: 'Messe d'intavolatura d'organo'    Venice 1568

Organ: Massimiliano Raschietti   2012

Kyrie of 'Missa virginis Mariae'   Organ mass by Claudio Merulo

Pub: 'Messe d'intavolatura d'organo'   Venice 1568

Organ: Lukas Frank   Vienna 2011

Merulo's first publishing of sacred works was in 'Missarum quinque vocum Liber Primus' in Venice in 1573. He eventually rose to such status as to compose the music in celebration of Henry III's July visit to Venice in 1574 en route from Poland to Paris to be crowned King of France. Consisting of settings for intermedi to C. Cornelio Frangipane's 'Tragedia' performed by Vittoria Piisimi and members of the Gelosi comedy troupe, nothing of that work has survived. In 1578 Merulo published perhaps his best-known motet a 5, 'O Crux Benedicta', in 'Liber secundus sacrarum cantionum quinque vocum'.

'O Crux Benedicta'   Motet a 5 by Claudio Merulo

Pub: 'Liber secundus sacrarum cantionum quinque vocum'   1578

Instrumental arrangement by the Quoniam Ensemble   Crema, Italy   2013

Organ: Pietro Pasquini   Voice: Laura Crescini

In 1584 Merulo exchanged Venice for Parma, working at Parma Cathedral, as well as the Church of Santa Maria della Steccata. Though Merulo made trips to Venice and Rome he remained in Parma throughout the final twenty years of his career.

'Canzon dita La Zambeccara'   Canzon for organ by Claudio Merulo

No.2 of 'Canzoni d'intavolatura d'organo a quattro voci, fatte alle francese'   Venice 1592

Clavicembalo (harpsichord): Marco Vincenzi   2010

'Spiritus Sanctus in te'   Motet a 6 by Claudio Merulo

No.14 of 'Il secondo libro de motetti a sei voci'   Angelo Gardano in Venice 1593

Kantorei of Kansas City directed by Chris Munce

Album: 'To Bethlehem: Carols & Motets for Christmas'   2016

'Toccata prima sopra Undecimo detto Quinto Tuono'   Toccata for organ by Claudio Merulo

No.1 of 'Toccate d'intavolatura d'organo Libro Secondo'   Simone Verovio in Rome 1604

Organ: Stefano Molardi

'Toccata quarta sopra Duodecimo detto Sesto Tuono'   Toccata for organ by Claudio Merulo

No.4 of 'Toccate d'intavolatura d'organo Libro Secondo'   Simone Verovio in Rome 1604

Organ: Massimiliano Raschietti

'Toccata quinta sopra Settimo Tuono'   Toccata for organ by Claudio Merulo

No.5 of 'Toccate d'intavolatura d'organo Libro Secondo'   Simone Verovio in Rome 1604

Organ: Massimiliano Raschietti

'Canzona vigesimaterza'   Instrumental canzon a 5 by Claudio Merulo

No.23 of 'Canzoni per sonare con ogni sorte di stromenti'   Alessandro Raveri in Venice 1608

Organ & viols: Ernst Stolz

Merulo died in Parma on 4 May 1604, among composers of the latter Renaissance anticipating baroque. Though he also set music for voice, his notability stands as among the earliest to emphasize composition for instruments alone, particularly organ.