Jacobus de Kerle

Jacobus de Kerle (* 1531 or 1532 in Ypres, † January 7, 1591 in Prague ) was a Franco- Flemish composer.

He lived from 1555 in Italy and worked at a church in Orvieto. From 1562 he served during the Council of Trent, the Archbishop of Augsburg in Rome, from 1565 to 1567 in Ypres, and then as choirmaster at Augsburg Cathedral. In 1575 he moved into a Benedictine abbey in Kempten. As cantor of Cambrai Jacobus de Kerle 1579 returned again to Flanders back. 1579, but changed already in 1582 as choirmaster in Cologne. In the same year he took over in Prague his last post. His published works include eight editions of motets and vespers music and a band shows. His pieces in simple, lyrical style of Palestrina may have the Fathers of the Council of Trent convinced not to ban polyphonic music from the church. This apparent rescue of polyphonic music Catholic Church has been mostly attributed to Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli, however, happened probably by the Preces speciales of Jacobus de Kerle.