Merula, Tarquinio

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Merula, Tarquinio

Merula, Tarquinio, significant Italian organist and composer; b. Cremona, 1594 or 1595; d. there, Dec. 10, 1665. In 1616 he received an appointment as organist of S. Maria Incoronata in Lodi. In 1621 he went to Poland, where he served as court organist. Returning to Italy, he became provisional maestro di cappella for the Laudi della Madonna at Cremona Cathedral in 1626. He then held a regular appointment from 1627, and also became organist of the collegiate church of S. Agata in 1628. He was appointed maestro di cappella of S. Maria Maggiore in Bergamo in 1631, but was dismissed in 1632 for “indecency” shown toward several of his pupils. He then returned to Cremona, where he became maestro di cappella for the Laudi della Madonna at the Cathedral in 1633; however, a dispute with his superiors over salary and other matters led to his resignation in 1635. By 1638 he had found a position as maestro di cappella and organist to the Cathedral in Bergamo next to S. Maria Maggiore. Disagreements with his former employers at S. Maria Maggiore soon developed, and he finally returned to Cremona in 1646 as Cathedral organist and as organist and maestro di cappella for the Laudi della Madonna, holding these positions until his death. He was a versatile composer and wrote both secular and sacred music; remarkably enough for a church organist, he also wrote instrumental music in a concertante style, his ensemble canzonas being especially fine. See A. Sutkowski, ed., Tarquinio Merula: Opere complete, I/i (Brooklyn, 1974).

Works

vocal: sacred:II primo libro de motetti e sonate concertati, op.6, for 2 to 5 Voices (Venice, 1624); Libro secondo de concerti spirituali con alcune sonate, op.8, for 2 to 5 Voices (Venice, 1628); Pegaso...salmi, motetti, suonate. ..for 2 to 5 Voices, libro terzo, op.11 (e. 1633–37); Concerto...messi, salmi...concertati, op.15, for 2 to 8 and 12 Voices, with Instruments (Venice, 1639); Arpa Davidica...salmi, et messe, op.16, a 4 (Venice, 1640); II terzo libro delle salmi et messa concertati, op.18, a 3-4 (Venice, 1652). secular:La finta savia, opera in collaboration with others (Venice, 1643); II primo libro de madrigaletti, op.4, for 3 Voices and Basso Continuo (Venice, 1624); II primo libro de madrigali concertate, op.5, for 4 to 8 Voices and Basso Continuo (Venice, 1624); Satiro e Corisca dialogo musicale, op.7, for 2 Voices and Basso Continuo (Venice, 1626); Madrigali et altre musiche concertate a 1-5, libro secondo, op.10 (Venice, 1633); Curtio precipitato et altri capricii, libro secondo, op.13, for I Voice (Venice, 1638); Canzonetta a 3 et 4, op.14? (date unknown; not extant). instrumental:II primo libro delle canzoni, a 4, op.l (Venice, 1615); II secondo libro delle canzoni da suonare, op.9, for 3 Instruments and Basso Continuo (e. 1631–33); Canzoni overo sonate concertate per chiesa e camera, a 2-3, libro terzo, op.12 (Venice, 1637); II quarto libro delle canzoni da suonare, a 2-3, op.17 (Venice, 1651).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire