Charles Burney

The Present State of Music in France and Italy (2nd, corrected edition)

London: T. Becket and Co., 1773

Milan

There is an admirable portrait in the
collection, by this painter, of the or-
ganist Merula *.

Upon my enquiring for the catalogue
of MSS. I was told it was not usual to
shew it, but I might see any one in the
collection, if I would ask for it by name;
but I new [sic] no more the name than the
contents: I was in quest of new exist-
ences, new literary beings, unpolluted
by profane compilers and printers. And,
upon explaining my errand to Milan,
and saying it was chiefly to ascertain the
time of establishing the Ambrosian Chant
in that church, I was told by the Custode,
that Padre Martini had made the same
enquiries, but without success; and that
it seemed as if this chant had been given
to St. Ambrose by the writers of his life,
one after the other, without sufficient
proof. This was rather discouraging;
however I did not, as yet, give up the