Nicolaus [Nicolò] Barono {Paul IV-Pius V}
Bass; Naples; admitted 20 August 1553 ; mandati : September 1553 -February 1559 , August 1559 -June 1560 , November 1566 -June 1570 ;
This singer had a somewhat checkered career in the chapel, his problems caused apparently by papal displeasure. Along with Giovanni Luigi de Episcopis , Giovanni Antonio Latino , and the maestro di cappella , Girolamo Macchabei, Bishop of Castro, he disappears from the chapel lists from March-July, 1559 . The maestro had returned to his diocese in obedience to a decree by Pope Paul IV, while Barono and Epsicopis had been banished from Rome by a papal order. Episcopus , Barono, and Macchabei return to the chapel lists in August 1559 (shortly after Paul's death) [Barono and Episcopis were readmitted on 28 August 1559 -- DS 5, fol. 139r]. On 13 March 1560 , Barono asked for a leave of absence to go to Naples, stating that Cardinal Carlo Caraffa had already inteceded in this matter with the pope, and the leave was granted. This, however, got him into trouble with Pope Pius IV. On 29 June 1560 , the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the singers sang a motet for the pope, as was customary, and each received a tip of two ducats directly from the papal hand. However, when the pope learned that Barono was not present to receive his tip and furthermore was in the service of Cardinal Caraffa (the hated nephew of his predecessor, Paul IV, executed in the Castel Sant'Angelo on 6 March 1561 ), he ordered that Barono be stricken from the mandati lists (effectively expelling him from the chapel). On 1 July 1560, the singers debated appealing this decision, but did nothing, and Barone’s name no longer appears beginning in the list of July 1560 . After the death of Pius IV, Barono managed to get himself reinstated once again and returned to the lists in November 1566 . On 16 October 1569 he was granted another leave of absence for six months [ DS 9, fol. 38r]; clearly not having returned from this leave at the appointed time, he is dropped from the lists in July 1570 . On 19 September 1572 , Barono returned to Rome and tried once again to be reinstated. His request was approved by the singers, but the Treasurer refused to add him (and another returning singer, Federicus Donato ) to the mandati lists for October. On 14 October the singers brought the matter up with Pope Gregory XIII who ordered that neither singer be readmitted to the choir. He gave two basic reasons for his decision: 1) that he wanted the choir to be made up of singers who were members during the pontificate of his predecessor, Pius V or who had been newly admitted to the chapel through audition; 2) that the chapel membership was not to exceed 24. Since Barono had been a member in the reign of Pius V, it must have been the second of these reasons that ensured his final separation from the College of Singers.
DOCUMENTS
DS 4
21v: entry dated 19 August 1553 [CASIMIRI (1936), p. 66]
Eodem die d. Nicolaus Baronus fuit per R.dum dominum magistrum capelle admissus in cantorem et ab eodem superpellitio in sacrista ecclesie Sancti Marci indutus.
21v: entry dated 22 August 1553 [CASIMIRI (1936), p. 66]
Eodem die D. Nicolaus Baronus solvit regalia sua videlicet ducatos auri in auro de camera decem. Item etiam solvit pro cotta ducatos duos similes.
DS 5
134v-135r: entry dated 5 April 1559 [CASIMIRI (1938), pp. 219-220]
Post missam fuit congregatio in qua abbas retulit qualiter d. Camillus Ursinus alias ante obitum suum notaverat sua propria manu infrascriptos cantores in mandat salariorum describi solitos et dixerat sibi quod ex commissione pontificis, deberent deleri ex dicto mandato et capella, aliqui videlicet d. Joannes Aloisius, et Nicolaus Baronus iam expulsi ab ube de mandato S.mi necnon d. Nicolaus Clinca et Jo. Antonius Merlus propter inobedientiam alias de anno 1558 contra magistrum et collegium dicte capelle commissam una cum d. Joanne Antonio Latino qui vigore eiusdem motus proprii cum falsa narrativa expediti absque examine, per vim et mentem R.mi cardinalis Caraffe in dicta capella admissus fuerat etc. ac tribus coniugatis. Quidem idem abbas nomine totius collegii recommendaverat dicto d. Camillo dictos expellendos una cum privilegiis capelle predicte etc. et d. Camillus predictus sibi promiserat supplicare S.mo pro mutatione propositi. Et quia iam dictus Camillus iam obiit ut supra et nescitur an impetraverat aliquid super hoc a S.mo sicut promiserat. Dicta congregatio deputavit 4 cantores seniores videlicet d. decanum, Hieronimum de Tamagnis, Petrum Lambert et Antonium Calasanz et una cum prefato abbate adirent R.mum cardinalem Spoletinum ac etiam S.mum ( si opus foret) et supplicarent pro conservatione privilegiorum capelle, quibus cavaretur neminem ex ea expelli debere, nisi data sibi prius idonea recompensa. Et recommendarent dictos expellendos etc.
DS 6
163r: entry dated 13 March 1560 [FREY, p. 25]
Finitis missa et vesperis in congregatione cantorum d. Nicolaus Baronus dixit, quod Rev.mus protector petierat et obtinuerat pro eo licentiam eundi ad patriam a Sanctissimo pro tempore in constitutionibus expresso, et sic etiam petebat eandem a collegio dominorum cantorum; quot sibi gratiose concessum fuit, modo a d. magistro capelle hoc etiam obtineat.
173v: entry dated 29 June 1560 [FREY, p. 51]
Item cantavimus motettus in prandio pontificis, qui dedit unicuique duplicem mantiam videlicet duo ducata auri in auro sua manu propria in tavolino, excepto d. Nicolao Barono absente; pro quo dum abbas postularet mantiam (sicut pro aliis absentibus et inrimis receperat), Sanctissimus quesivit, quis esste et ubi esset, et responso habito quod esset ex familia Rev.mi Caraffe et cum licentia iverat ad patriam pro aliquibus negotiis suis peragendis, idem Sanctissimus dixit abbati nostro: scribatis ipsi, quod veniat huc, et dabimus ei aliud quam mantiam. Et respiciens idem Sanctissimus presidentem camere ividem presentem, qui sibi porrexerat pecunias pro dictis manciis distribuendi, dixit sibi: deleatur de mandato provisionum, et noluit dare abbati mantiam pro eodem Nicolao.
174r: entry dated 1 July 1560 [FEY, pp. 51-52]
Finita missa et congreatis etc. d. Abbas capelle retulit, qualiter R. d. presidens camere apostolice ante matutinas commiserat sibi de mandato pontificis, quod deleret d. Nicolaum Baronum ex mandato provisionum, confimans eadem verba, que dixerat sibi Sanctissimus in die Sanctorum Petri et Pauli, prout superius dictum est, petesn a congreatione quid agendum. Super quibus multa a diversis dicebatur et inter alis, quod depurentur 3 vel 4, qui accederent dicutm d. presidentem et peterent quod dictus dominus Baronus relinqueretur in dicto mandato, saltem per istum presentem mensem, ut posset sibi scribi, quod redeat ad servitium capelle, alias delibitur de mandato. Ad quo respondit d. Nicolaus Clinca tanquam amicus et agens pro dicto Nicolao Barono, quod nullatenus hoc fieri debeat, ne stantibus terminis sibi quid deterius contingat, sed tacite relinquatur ex mandato, er nihil propterea super hoc conclusum extitit.
DS 10
5v: entry dated 19 September 1572 [FREY, p. 53]
Eadem die D. Nicolaus Baronus redivit ex partibus.
7r: entry dated 14 October 1572
In congregatione fuerunt deputati dd decanus et J.o Aluysius et Christianus Ameyden ad informandam S.mus d.n. super admissione facta de dd. Nicolao Barone et Federico Donato in eorum loco, super eo quod D.mus thesaurarius nolebat eos admittere in mandato provisionis cantorum mensis octobris.
entry dated 15 October 1572
Die mercurii 15 deputati retulerunt in congregatio quale S.mi d.n. nollebat in capella nisi cantores existentes in capella tempore fe. re. Pii 5ti et quod non excedat numerorum 24 cantorum et quod de cetero non admitantur in capella cantores nisi iuxta forma statuta capelle.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: CELANI, p. 103; CASIMIRI ; FREY, Die Diarien , pp. 18, 25, 51-53, 138, 150-152.