Francisco Guerrero (composer)
Francisco Guerrero (* 1527 or 1528 in Seville , † November 8, 1599 ) was, together with Tomás Luis de Victoria and Cristóbal de Morales , one of the most important Spanish composers of sacred music of the Renaissance .
Life
Francisco Guerrero received his first musical training as a choirboy in Seville Cathedral from his older brother Pedro (* 1520) and from Kapellmeister Pedro Fernández de Castilleja . Also Cristobal de Morales taught him. In 1546, at the age of 17, he was appointed Kapellmeister of Jaén Cathedral. Before he was 30 years old, he enjoyed a good reputation thanks to his publications.
He was elected Kapellmeister of the Cathedral of Málaga , but did not answer the call. In 1551 he was hired as assistant to Kapellmeister Fernández de Castileja and as choirmaster at the Cathedral of Seville. It was not until 1574, after Fernández's death, that Guerrero received the position of Kapellmeister there. Extensive travels took him through Spain and Portugal in the service of Emperor Maximilian II . To the wedding celebrations of the Spanish King Philip II with Anna of Austria he accompanied the Archbishop of Seville to Italy, where he met Pope Gregory XIII in a private audience . presented his second collection of fairs.
In 1588 he again accompanied the archbishop to Rome. He received permission in Venice to supervise the printing of his second book Canciones y villanescas espirituales . On August 14, 1588 made a trip to the Holy Land , from which he returned in early January 1589. He described the experiences of this trip in his travelogue Viage de Hierusalem from 1590. Plagued by financial worries, which the chapter generously took over, he spent the rest of his days as Kapellmeister of the cathedral. He probably died of the plague in 1599 and was buried in Seville Cathedral.
Guerrero spent more time in Spain than Victoria or Morales, who mostly lived in Italy, and created a greater number of secular works. Like his contemporaries, he preferred homophonic structures with a leading voice. His music has a wide emotional range. In the cathedrals of South America in particular, his works were held in high regard for a long time. The harmonic tonality is already indicated in his works, which is why one of his Magnificat , which was found in Lima without a composer's name , was considered a work of the 18th century for a long time.
Guerrero created 18 masses and around 150 liturgical pieces, including motets , psalm settings , Vespers and also sacred and secular songs .
Web links
- Sheet music in the public domain by Francisco Guerrero in the Choral Public Domain Library - ChoralWiki (English)
- Sheet music and audio files by Francisco Guerrero in the International Music Score Library Project
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Guerrero, Francisco |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish composer of the Renaissance |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1527 or 1528 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Seville |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 8, 1599 |
| Place of death | Seville |