Emerico Lobo de Mesquita

Emerico was born at Vila do Príncipe (now Serro), in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. His parents José Lobo de Mesquita and Joaquina Emerenciana gave him a liberal education. He received his first music lessons (organ and music theory) from Father Manuel da Costa Dantas, who was organist and choirmaster at the church Nossa Senhora da Conceição in Serro. Soon after 1776 he went to Arraial do Tijuco (now Diamantina) to become organist and conductor at the cathedral Santo Antônio of Diamantina. On 17 January 1789, he entered the religious order Ordem Terceira de Nossa Senhora do Carmo. He founded a music school in this city and was appointed teacher of the art of music. In 1798, he worked in Vila Rica (now Ouro Preto) for the city mayor, and was also organist and choirmaster at the church Nossa Senhora do Pilar. He had a quarrel with the mayor and left for Rio de Janeiro, where he became organist of the Ordem Terceira do Carmo until his death, in April 1805.

Lobo de Mesquita was an important representative of the so-called Escola de Compositores da Capitania das Minas do Ouro (Composers' School of the Gold Mines Region). He was known for his virtuoso organ playing and art of improvisation.

• Jozef Robijns, Miep Zijlstra: Algemene muziek enciclopedie, Haarlem: De Haan, (1979)-1984, ISBN 978-90-228-4930-9
• Vasco Mariz: História da Música no Brasil, 6ª edição ampliada e atualizada; Rio de Janeiro : Editora Nova Fronteira, 2005. 550 p., ISBN 85-209-1763-1
• Vasco Mariz: História da Música no Brasil, Rio de Janeiro: Editora Civilização Brasileira, 1994. ISBN 978-85-200-0193-6
• Vasco Mariz: História da Música no Brasil (Coleção Retratos do Brasil), Rio de Janeiro: Editora Civilizaçāo Brasileira, 1981. 331 p.,
• Miguel Fischer, Martha Furman Schleifer, John M. Furman: Latin American classical composers - A biographical dictionary, Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1996, 407 p., ISBN 978-0-8108-3185-8
• Hildred Roach: Black American music : past and present, 2nd Revised edition, Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company, 1992, 390 p., ISBN 978-0-89464-580-8
• Hildred Roach: Black American music. Past and present, Vol. II, Malabar, Florida: Robert E. Krieger, 1985, ISBN 978-0-89874-815-4
• Ary Vasconcelos: Raízes da música popular brasileira (1500-1889), São Paulo: Livraria Martins Editora, 1991, 324 p., ISBN 85-85297-11-5
• Ary Vasconcelos: Raízes da música popular brasileira (1500-1889), São Paulo: Livraria Martins Editora, 1977. 362 p.
• Heitor Geraldo Magella Combat: Um "Magnificat" de J.J. Emerico Lobo de Mesquita (1746-1805). Pesquisa sobre cópias encontradas em Cássia-M.G., em 1960, II. Encontro Nacional de Pesquisa em Música. Belo Horizonte 1986. S. 67-87.
• Marcos Antônio Marcondes: Enciclopédia da música brasileira: erudita, folclórica e popular, São Paulo: Art Editora, 1977
• Francisco Curt Lange: Os compositores na Capitania Geral das Minas Gerais, Marília, 1965, 111 p.
• Maria Luíza de Queiroz Amâncio dos Santos: Suplemento biográfico dos músicos que influíram em nossa cultura musical do XVI ao XIX século, in: Origem e evolução da música em Portugal e sua influência no Brasil, Comissão Brasileira dos Centenários de Portugal, 1942, 343 p.

• Free scores by Emerico Lobo de Mesquita in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)