Francisco de Peñalosa
Encyclopedia
Francisco de Peñalosa was a Spanish
composer of the middle Renaissance
.
. He spent most of his career in Seville
, serving as the maestro di capilla, though he also spent time in Burgos
, and three years in Rome
at the papal chapel (1518–1521). He died in Seville.
, and his compositions were highly regarded at the time. Unfortunately for him, his music was not widely distributed; he did not benefit from the invention of printing
, since he mostly remained in Spain, away from cities such as Venice
and Antwerp which were the first centers of printed music. Later generations of Spanish composers—Guerrero, Morales, Victoria
—went to Italy
for parts of their careers, where their compositions were printed and were as widely distributed as the music of the Franco-Flemish composers who dominated music in Europe in the 16th century.
Peñalosa wrote mass
es, Magnificat
settings, motet
s and hymn
s. Eleven secular compositions have survived, including a ensalada
(a form of quodlibet
) Por las sierras de Madrid for six voices.
Peñalosa was evidently fond of contrapuntal
puzzles and canons, as evidenced by the quodlibet, and by the Agnus Dei of his Missa Ave Maria peregrina, which combines a plainsong
tune with a retrograde
(backwards) version of a famous secular song by Hayne van Ghizeghem
.
One of his motets (Sancta mater istud agas) was long assumed to be by Josquin des Prez
, which indicates both the stylistic similarity of their music and the high quality of Peñalosa's.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
composer of the middle Renaissance
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
.
Life
He was born in Talavera de la Reina in the province of ToledoToledo (province)
Toledo is a province of central Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. It is bordered by the provinces of Madrid, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, Badajoz, Cáceres, and Ávila....
. He spent most of his career in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, serving as the maestro di capilla, though he also spent time in Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
, and three years in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
at the papal chapel (1518–1521). He died in Seville.
Music and influence
Peñalosa was one of the most famous Spanish composers of the generation before Cristóbal de MoralesCristóbal de Morales
Cristóbal de Morales was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He is generally considered to be the most influential Spanish composer before Victoria.- Life :...
, and his compositions were highly regarded at the time. Unfortunately for him, his music was not widely distributed; he did not benefit from the invention of printing
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
, since he mostly remained in Spain, away from cities such as Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and Antwerp which were the first centers of printed music. Later generations of Spanish composers—Guerrero, Morales, Victoria
Tomás Luis de Victoria
Tomás Luis de Victoria, sometimes Italianised as da Vittoria , was the most famous composer of the 16th century in Spain, and one of the most important composers of the Counter-Reformation, along with Giovanni da Palestrina and Orlando di Lasso. Victoria was not only a composer, but also an...
—went to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
for parts of their careers, where their compositions were printed and were as widely distributed as the music of the Franco-Flemish composers who dominated music in Europe in the 16th century.
Peñalosa wrote mass
Mass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
es, Magnificat
Magnificat
The Magnificat — also known as the Song of Mary or the Canticle of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn...
settings, motet
Motet
In classical music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions.-Etymology:The name comes either from the Latin movere, or a Latinized version of Old French mot, "word" or "verbal utterance." The Medieval Latin for "motet" is motectum, and the Italian...
s and hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
s. Eleven secular compositions have survived, including a ensalada
Ensalada (music)
The ensalada is a genre of polyphonic secular music mixing languages and dialects and nonsensical quodlibets.The term is known mainly through a publication, Las Ensaladas de Flecha Prague by Mateo Flecha the younger, that contains six long four-part vocal compositions by his uncle Mateo Flecha...
(a form of quodlibet
Quodlibet
A quodlibet is a piece of music combining several different melodies, usually popular tunes, in counterpoint and often a light-hearted, humorous manner...
) Por las sierras de Madrid for six voices.
Peñalosa was evidently fond of contrapuntal
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
puzzles and canons, as evidenced by the quodlibet, and by the Agnus Dei of his Missa Ave Maria peregrina, which combines a plainsong
Plainsong
Plainsong is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Catholic Church. Though the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Catholic Church did not split until long after the origin of plainchant, Byzantine chants are generally not classified as plainsong.Plainsong is monophonic, consisting of a...
tune with a retrograde
Permutation (music)
In music, a permutation of a set is any ordering of the elements of that set. Different permutations may be related by transformation, through the application of zero or more of certain operations, such as transposition, inversion, retrogradation, circular permutation , or multiplicative operations...
(backwards) version of a famous secular song by Hayne van Ghizeghem
Hayne van Ghizeghem
Hayne van Ghizeghem was a Franco-Flemish composer of the early Renaissance Burgundian School.While many of his works have survived, little is known about his life...
.
One of his motets (Sancta mater istud agas) was long assumed to be by Josquin des Prez
Josquin Des Prez
Josquin des Prez [Josquin Lebloitte dit Desprez] , often referred to simply as Josquin, was a Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance...
, which indicates both the stylistic similarity of their music and the high quality of Peñalosa's.
Selected recordings
- Penalosa: Complete Motets Pro Cantione AntiquaPro Cantione AntiquaPro Cantione Antiqua of London are a British choral group who were founded in 1968 by Tenor James Griffett, Counter-tenor Paul Esswood, and conductor and producer Mark Brown. From an early stage they were closely associated with conductor and musicologist Bruno Turner...
, Bruno TurnerBruno TurnerBruno Turner is a British musicologist, choral conductor, broadcaster, publisher and businessman.-Life:The son of a motor spares magnate, Turner went on holiday to Sweden shortly after the Second World War...
, Hyperion/Helios - Penalosa: Missa Nunca fue pena mayor. Sacris solemniis. Memorare Piissima. Ensemble Gilles Binchois, Les Saqueboutiers du Toulouse, Dominique Vellard, Glossa
- Penalosa: Missa Ave Maria, Missa Nunca fue pena mayor. Choir of Westminster CathedralWestminster CathedralWestminster Cathedral in London is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and Cathedral of the Archbishop of Westminster...
, O'DonnellJames O'Donnell (organist)James O'Donnell, KCGS, LVO, FRCM, FRSCM, HonRAM is Organist and Master of the Choristers of Westminster Abbey, a position he has held since 2000....
, Hyperion