Francisco de la Torre
Encyclopedia
Francisco de la Torre was a Spanish composer
mainly active in the Kingdom of Naples
. His hometown may have been Seville
. His music can be found in La música en la corte de los Reyes Católicos, edited by H. Anglès (1947–51).
Francisco is first mentioned as a singer in the choir of the royal chapel on 1 July 1483. He took an annual salary of 25,000 maravedís and served in the same capacity for seventeen years. On 15 July 1488 he received a half-prebend from Ferdinand II
. He left the royal court at Naples
in 1500 and became a curate
at the Cathedral of Seville, where on 10 February 1503 he was given charge of the choirboys as succentor
and received an increased salary. He soon left this position to Alonso de Alva, the new maestro de capilla (chapel master). When he was last recorded on 30 September 1504 he was a compañero of the cathedral, a rank lower than his previous prebend.
His surviving compositions include one courtly instrumental dance, a funeral responsory
(Ne recorderis), an office of the dead
, and ten villancico
s (three sacred, seven secular). According to Robert Stevenson, his "funerary works, notably the motet
Libera me, are of great beauty and expressiveness." Four of his secular villancicos may be classified as romances, having something in common with the Netherlandish composer Juan de Urrede
active in Spain in the previous generation. One, Pascua d'Espíritu Sancto, was composed for the feast of Corpus Christi
the day after the reconquista
of Ronda
on 1 June 1485. It is based on a portion of the verse account of the Granada War
by Hernando de Ribera.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
mainly active in the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
. His hometown may have been 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...
. His music can be found in La música en la corte de los Reyes Católicos, edited by H. Anglès (1947–51).
Francisco is first mentioned as a singer in the choir of the royal chapel on 1 July 1483. He took an annual salary of 25,000 maravedís and served in the same capacity for seventeen years. On 15 July 1488 he received a half-prebend from Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of...
. He left the royal court at Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
in 1500 and became a curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at the Cathedral of Seville, where on 10 February 1503 he was given charge of the choirboys as succentor
Succentor
The Succentor in an ancient cathedral foundation sings psalms and Preces and Responses after the Precentor. In English cathedrals today the priest responsible for liturgy and music is usually the Precentor, but some cathedrals, such as St Paul's and Durham, retain a Succentor as well. Westminster...
and received an increased salary. He soon left this position to Alonso de Alva, the new maestro de capilla (chapel master). When he was last recorded on 30 September 1504 he was a compañero of the cathedral, a rank lower than his previous prebend.
His surviving compositions include one courtly instrumental dance, a funeral responsory
Responsory
-Definition:The most general of a responsory is any psalm, canticle, or other sacred musical work sung responsorially, that is, with a cantor or small group singing verses while the whole choir or congregation respond with a refrain. However, this article focuses on those chants of the western...
(Ne recorderis), an office of the dead
Office of the Dead
The Office of the Dead is a prayer cycle of the Liturgy of the Hours in the Roman Catholic Church, said for the repose of the soul of a decedent. It is the proper reading on All Souls' Day for all souls in Purgatory, and can be a votive office on other days when said for a particular decedent...
, and ten villancico
Villancico
The villancico was a common poetic and musical form of the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America popular from the late 15th to 18th centuries. With the decline in popularity of the villancicos in the 20th century, the term became reduced to mean merely "Christmas carol"...
s (three sacred, seven secular). According to Robert Stevenson, his "funerary works, notably the 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...
Libera me, are of great beauty and expressiveness." Four of his secular villancicos may be classified as romances, having something in common with the Netherlandish composer Juan de Urrede
Juan de Urrede
Juan de Urrede or Juan de Urreda was a Flemish singer and composer active in Spain in the service of the Duke of Alba and King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. He was born Johannes de Wreede in Bruges....
active in Spain in the previous generation. One, Pascua d'Espíritu Sancto, was composed for the feast of Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi (feast)
Corpus Christi is a Latin Rite solemnity, now designated the solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ . It is also celebrated in some Anglican, Lutheran and Old Catholic Churches. Like Trinity Sunday and the Solemnity of Christ the King, it does not commemorate a particular event in...
the day after the reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
of Ronda
Ronda
Ronda is a city in Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about West from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants.-History:...
on 1 June 1485. It is based on a portion of the verse account of the Granada War
Granada War
The Granada War was a series of military campaigns between 1482 and 1492, during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, against the Nasrid dynasty's Emirate of Granada...
by Hernando de Ribera.