Claudio Merulo (1533–1604) was one of the most versatile musicians of his day, since he was celebrated as a composer, performer, teacher, printer, editor and organ-builder. Although he published several collections of vocal music, he is generally remembered for his keyboard music.

The eight ricercars found in this collection are substantial works and differ markedly in style from the early-sixteenth-century lute and keyboard works in this genre. Unlike those earlier compositions, Merulo's ricercars are modelled on motet practice and are consequently more sophisticated because they are imitative. In these pieces Merulo shows a preference for polythematic ideas and exploits such techniques as inversion, stretto, and thematic combination. These works are a significant contribution to the form and offer valuable evidence of contemporary practices in embellishment. They also shed light on contemporary fingering techniques and, by extension, on phrasing and articulation. This edition has been prepared from the recently rediscovered unique copy found in the Biblioteka Jagiellonska, Kraków, Poland.

Contents

1. Ricercar del primo tuono

2. Ricercar del secondo tuono

3. Ricercar del terzo tuono

4. Ricercar del quarto tuono

5. Ricercar dell'undecimo tuono

6. Ricercar del duodecimo tuono

7. Ricercar del settimo tuono

8. Ricercar dell'ottavo tuono

Reviews

Robert Judd, Music & Letters; Philippe Canguilhem, Revue de Musicologie, 1994; Oscar Mischiati, L'Organo, 1995; Rose Mauro, Notes, September 1995; Early Music News, April 1993; David J. Smith, Early Music, May 2002