According to fellow organist and composer Costanzo Antegnati (1549–1624), Claudio Merulo (1533–1604) was famous for ‘the sweet way he played’. In the 16th century the term ‘sweetness’ was mainly related to the practice of ‘diminution’, or ornamentation, with skillfully executed passeggiando and a ‘judicious breaking up of the figures’, so that the application of the coloratura might confer a personal and lively chiaroscuro effect. In 1574 Merulo published Il primo libro de ricercari da cantare, a qvattro voci in four separate vocal part-books (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), and for this album Francesco Tasini has aptly scored, intabulated, adapted and diminished the Ricercari for performance on the organ. Out of respect for Merulo’s original, Tasini’s diminution of the 19 Ricercari of the Libro primo always retains each part as it appeared, deliberately abstaining from any temporary suspension of a line which could be brought about in order to give space to the coloratura of another part. The process of diminution is not limited to the ‘filling in’ of long note durations with passages of short notes; it also includes a rhetorical game enacted between the parts through syncopes, delayed entrances, changes of register, slurs and various echo and other effects to achieve an underlying lively discourse, as well as arpeggio effects typical of organ practice which Tasini has modelled on numerous passages found in Merulo’s two books of Toccate. The addition of coloratura highlights and brings out the formal division within each ricercare and, in addition to the cadences, establishes a different application for each new subject, so as to enhance its distinctive features.

Claudio Merulo (1533–1604) enjoyed great renown in his time. +
His famous Toccate expresses most vividly his considerable skill in the practice of intavolare diminuito. + These world premiere recordings present the entire corpus of Merulo’s Toccate: the 9 Toccate contained in the First Book of Toccate d’intavolatvra d’organo (1598), the 10 Toccate contained in the Second Book of Toccate d’intavolatura d’organo (1604) and the 7 manuscript Toccate drawn from the Nuova intavolatura d’organo tedesca.

Claudio Merulo is an interesting and significant Renaissance figure. In his lifetime, he was perhaps best known as a fine organist and an innovative composer. In 1557, having already been organist at the Old Cathedral of Brescia, he became organist at St. Mark’s Venice, where he remained until 1584. In 1587 he was appointed organist at Parma cathedral, where he is buried.

His organ works are innovative often contrasting sections of contrapuntal writing with passagework. There is something very vocal about his organ pieces – he was a close student of madrigals. Works published in his lifetime were principally organ pieces.

The masses on these discs are dominated by the organ. Short choral sections are interspersed with longer pieces for organ solo – this is no mere accompaniment. The schola sings largely in cantus firmus, that is, without polyphony. Think in terms of a modification of plainchant and you are close to the sound. This permits text to emerge clearly. An oddity is the use of tropes, for example in the Gloria of the Missa Virginis Mariae. This is an addition to the prescribed text of the liturgy and is historically interesting. The Council of Trent would forbid such additions, and Gregory XIII, in the revised Missal of 1577 upheld the ruling. That said, this mass seems to come from 1568, so we have an example here of practice at an important transitional point in liturgical history.

Performances here are interesting, with a certain stark beauty. The acoustic of Verona Cathedral gives some depth. The organ is rather closely recorded, but one is very aware of the mechanism – the sound has an authenticity. The performances by Federico Del Sordo are thoughtful with some lively playing. The two choral groups, The Nova Schola Gregoriana (eight male singers) and In Dulci Jubilo (eight female singers) sing separately, each with understanding and precision. A slight oddity is some difference in pronunciation. In the opening of the Kyrie of the Missa Apostolorum, the men sing the Kyrie Eleison as ‘el-ay-ee-son’, while the women in the Missa Virginis Mariae prefer ‘el-eye-ee-son’. In both cases, diction is clear throughout. Both groups have appropriate reverence for the meaning of the text.

There are other recordings of Merulo Masses, notably on Naxos (Naxos 8.553420-1 8.553335-6 and 8.553420-1), two 2-disc sets, both with Spanish forces, and coupled with other works. The current recording does not lose in the comparison. There is no scholarly agreement about how to reconstruct these works, and it is valuable to hear alternative ways of reconstructing these scores. This recording provides a fine experience and, at Brilliant Classics prices, is well worth exploring.

– MusicWeb International (Michael Wilkinson)

Suspended between the Renaissance and Baroque eras, Merulo’s Toccate are unique compositions which occupy a singular role in the landscape of keyboard music. They are not prototypes, in that they are artistically too mature: rather, they prelude the way of expressing affetti of the “seconda prattica” on the keyboard, an art of which Frescobaldi would later be the uncontested master. The fascination of these daring compositions lies in the coexistence of new and old elements, Renaissance polyphony and Baroque gestural impulses. Claudio Merulo, who lived between Parma and Venice and was active not only as a great organ virtuoso, but also as an editor and alchemist, finds in his music the magic formula of balance between extreme elements which preserve his legacy as a mature and exceptional artist.