With his exceptional talent for blending the old with the new, Jacobus Gallus was one of Slovenia’s greatest composers of all time. However, many details about this talented 16th century musician remain obscure.

Even his exact name and place of birth are somewhat of a mystery. Historians believe that he was likely born in town of Ribnica in Slovenia’s Lower Carniola region in 1550. Throughout his life, he used the names Jacobus Gallus and Jacob Handl. Because both “gallus” and “handl” mean “rooster” in Latin and German respectively, historians believe that his original Slovenian name had the same meaning: “Petelin.” In any case, Gallus was proud of his Lower Carniolan origins, and often added the adjective Carniolus – “originating from Carniola” – to his name.

In an era when education was a rare privilege, Gallus was educated in a monastery, most likely at the Cistercian Abbey in Stična. During his studies, was exposed not just to the latest religious and secular ideas of the time, but also received a comprehensive musical education.

Gallus turned out to be an exceptionally competent musician, and he soon joined the Court Chapel in Vienna. He later worked as the chapel master for the bishop of Olomouc in the Czech Lands before becoming an organist in Prague.

But Gallus left his greatest legacy as a composer. He developed a distinctive blend of Renaissance styles from Northern and Southern Europe. He completed 374 choral compositions known as motets, and composed about 100 secular pieces known as madrigals. Never content with blindly following tradition, Gallus was known for introducing the latest Venetian trends to the more traditional music styles of the era, and was a highly sought-after composer of his time.

Gallus died in 1595 while still living in Prague. Despite his impressive output, he was almost forgotten in the centuries that followed. Then, in the 19th century, the Slovenian composer Kamilo Mašek rediscovered Gallus and reminded the public of his Slovenian roots. Mašek’s research, along with that of the musical historian Josip Mantuan, helped to make Gallus a household name in Slovenia – and saved his exceptional musical work from the being lost to the ravages of time.