HANDL, JACOB, also HANDL or HAHNEL (c. 1550 1591), German composer, was born in Carniola about 155o. The nickname of GALLUS, by which he was generally known, was a play on his surname Hahnel, "little cock." He is known to have been in the service of the Bishop of Olmutz as master of the chapel about 15;9, but is principally associated with Prag, where he was for many years organist of St. Johann am Ufer. His death took place at Prag on July 18, 1591. Although he hardly merited the name, freely given to him, of "the German Palestrina," he was undoubtedly an important figure in his day. His music shows a definite leaning towards the homophonic style which was so soon to take the place of 16th century polyphony. Most of his works were published in his lifetime, the most important being his "opus musicum," containing motets for the whole church year (Prag, 4 vols., 1586-90).
Other works are: 16 masses (158o) ; Epicedion harmonicum (1550 ; Morelia (1596) ; a motet a 4: Ecce quomodo moritur justus (used by Handel in his Funeral Anthem) and others for 5, 6 and 8 voices, printed in Bodenschatz's Florilegium portense; i 1 motets, 3 responsoria, a Miserere, a Christus factus est, and a Te Deum are included in Proske's Musica diving. A selection of his motets with biographical notes will be found in Denkmaler der Tonkunst in Oesterreich vol. VI. I (1899) . Sec Paul Piok, Die Messen von Jakobus Gallus (Vienna, 1917).