Composer and organist. From 1555 he is known to have been active in various Italian and German cities. More long-lasting than any individual post was his connection with Cardinal Otto, Lord High Steward of Waldburg and Bishop of Augsburg, who met him in 1561; commissioned him to compose the Preces speciales, prayers sung at the Council of Trent and embodying the council's declarations on clarity in the setting of liturgical texts; employed him as director of his private chapel, 1562-65; and later gave him a position at Augsburg Cathedral, Kerle remained for six years (1568-74). His surviving works, nearly all sacred, include Masses, motets, and other liturgical genres.