Editing Claudio Merulo (section)

==Music and influence==
Merulo is famous for his keyboard music.  His [[Toccata]]s, in particular, are innovative; he was the first to contrast sections of [[counterpoint|contrapuntal]] writing with passageworks; often he inserts sections which could be called [[ricercar]]s into pieces which otherwise are labelled toccatas or [[canzona]]s. (In the late 16th century, these terms are only approximately descriptive; different composers clearly had different ideas of what they meant).  Often his keyboard pieces begin as though they are to be a transcription of vocal [[polyphony]], but then gradually add embellishment and elaboration until they reach a climactic passage of considerable virtuosity.  Sometimes, especially in his later music, he develops ornaments which acquire the status of a [[motif (music)|motif]], which is then used developmentally; this anticipates a principal generative technique in the [[Baroque music|Baroque]] era.  Often Merulo casually ignores the "rules" of [[voice-leading]], giving the music an expressive intensity more associated with the late school of [[madrigal (music)|madrigalists]] than with keyboard music of the time.  His keyboard music was hugely influential, and his ideas can be seen in the music of [[Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck|Sweelinck]], [[Girolamo Frescobaldi|Frescobaldi]] and others; because of the immense influence of Sweelinck as a teacher, much of the virtuoso keyboard technique of the north German organ school, culminating in [[Johann Sebastian Bach]], can claim to be descended from the innovations of Merulo.

Even though the fame of his instrumental music has overshadowed much of his [[a cappella]] vocal output, Merulo was also a madrigalist.  Since he was a member of what is known today as the [[Venetian School (music)|Venetian School]], he also wrote motets for double choir in the manner of Andrea and [[Giovanni Gabrieli]]. He published two books of [[Madrigali]] a 5 voices (1566 and 1604), one of Madrigali a 4 (1579) and a 3 (1580).

The famous essay of keyboard technique ''Il Transilvano'' (1593), by Girolamo Diruta, was dedicated to Merulo, indicating his status as one of the most important keyboard players of the Italian [[Renaissance]].