Florentio Maschera

The compositions by Maschero that survive were all composed as four-part instrumental canzonas. He studied with his father at Brescia Cathedral and then was an organ student of <a href="spotify:artist:259GUXLA7Osf5srDpivlnV">Claudio Merulo</a>. He was the organist for Santo Spirito in Venice and later succeeded <a href="spotify:artist:259GUXLA7Osf5srDpivlnV">Merulo</a> as the organist for Brescia Cathedral. Known as an organist and composer Maschero was also lauded for his performing ability on the violin and upon the viola da braccio. His contrapuntal compositions, which helped usher in the fugue, were characterized in close relation to the French chanson from whence the term, canzona, was derived. His works were sectional and repetitive with lively rhythms, contain dialogues between voices, and little homophonic texture. Maschera's canzonas are among the first to be scored specifically as instrumental peices (after Merulo's lead). His pieces could be, and were, easily and well adapted for performances upon the viol and the lute. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi