Annibale Padovano was born in Padua in 1527. On 30 November 1553, when he was only twenty-seven years old, he was appointed organist at the ducal basilica of St Mark’s in Venice, where he remained until 2 August 1565. With this appointment, Annibale Padovano entered what was then considered the temple of musical excellence; there he served as first organist, while the post of second organist was held by Girolamo Parabosco (1551-1557) and Claudio Merulo (1557-1584). Bertoldo Sperindio was born in Modena sometime around 1530, though the exact date of his birth is still unknown. On 1 January 1552, maestro Sperandio was appointed organist at the Cathedral of Padua. In 1557, he obtained a ten-year contract for the same position, with an increase in salary. In 1567, his contract was renewed for another sixteen years, but in the same year he was suspended from service for insubordination. The exact reason for this suspension is unknown, but it was presumably of a fairly serious nature since his superiors even considered replacing him. As testimony to his artistic abilities, however, he was rehired in August. He died three years later in Padua on 15 August 1570, and again as proof of his merits, the members of the Cathedral Council decided to transfer his salary to his wife and children.