Mainerio was an Italian composer of the late sixteenth century, a priest and church musician who also wrote secular instrumental music. Born around 1535, he was active in the town of Aquileia, in northeastern Italy near Venice, and was apparently acquainted with the innovative styles, pointing toward the Baroque, that were arising in that part of the world. Il primo libro de balli (The First Book of Dances) was a collection of 21 ensemble dances published in Venice in 1578. Performable by various small combinations of instruments, they achieved a considerable popularity attested to by the existence of transcriptions made by northern organists. These pieces are attractive in their own right and are historically noteworthy in two respects: they contain both the first known dance suite for ensemble and the first known piece in variation form for ensemble. Both these forms emerged into frequent use over the following century. Thus Mainiero's set of dances might be regarded as one of the kernels from which Baroque music grew.

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