Gaspar Fernandes
Encyclopedia
Gaspar Fernandes (1566–1629) was a Portuguese
composer
and organist
active in the cathedrals of Santiago de Guatemala (present-day Antigua Guatemala
) and Puebla
de los Ángeles, New Spain (present-day Mexico
).
, Portugal
, is the same person as the Gaspar Fernández who was hired on 16 July, 1599 as organist and organ tuner of the cathedral of Santiago de Guatemala
. In 1606, Fernandes was approached by the dignitaries of the cathedral of Puebla
, inviting him to become the successor of his recently deceased friend Pedro Bermúdez
as chapel master. He left Santiago de Guatemala
on 12 July, 1606, and began his tenure in Puebla
on 15 September. He remained there until his death in 1629.
, several of which are extant in Guatemala
. These manuscripts contain music by Spanish composers Francisco Guerrero
, Cristóbal de Morales
, and Pedro Bermúdez
; the latter was with Fernandes at the time in the cathedral of Guatemala
. To complete these books, Fernandes composed a cycle of 8 Benedicamus Domino, the versicle
that follows the Magnificat
at vespers
and certain Mass
es, one in each of the 8 ecclesiastical tones or modes. He also added his own setting of the Magnificat
in the fifth tone, some faux bordon versicles without text, and a vespers
hymn
for the Feast of the Guardian Angels
.
During his Puebla tenure, rather than focusing on the composition of Latin liturgical music, he contributed a sizable amount of vernacular villancico
s for matins
. This part of his output shows great variety in the handling of texts, which are in Spanish
but also in pseudo-African and Amerindian dialects and occasionally Portuguese
. One of these villancico
s, "Xicochi
," is notable for its use of Nahuatl
, the language of the indigenous Nahua people. The music departs from 16th century counterpoint
and reflects the new baroque
search for text expression. The main collection of these villancico
s is extant in the Oaxaca
Codex, and has been studied, edited, and published by Robert Stevenson
and especially by Aurelio Tello.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
composer
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...
and organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
active in the cathedrals of Santiago de Guatemala (present-day Antigua Guatemala
Antigua Guatemala
Antigua Guatemala is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala famous for its well-preserved Spanish Mudéjar-influenced Baroque architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruins of colonial churches...
) and Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
de los Ángeles, New Spain (present-day Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
).
Life
Most scholars agree that the Gaspar Fernandes listed as a singer in the cathedral of ÉvoraÉvora
Évora is a municipality in Portugal. It has total area of with a population of 55,619 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Évora District and capital of the Alentejo region. The municipality is composed of 19 civil parishes, and is located in Évora District....
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, is the same person as the Gaspar Fernández who was hired on 16 July, 1599 as organist and organ tuner of the cathedral of Santiago de Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. In 1606, Fernandes was approached by the dignitaries of the cathedral of Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
, inviting him to become the successor of his recently deceased friend Pedro Bermúdez
Pedro Bermúdez
Pedro Bermúdez was a Spanish composer and chapel master, who has been recognised as one of the most outstanding polyphonists in the New World, and who was active in Granada, Antequera, Cusco, Santiago de Guatemala , and Puebla.-Life:Pedro Bermúdez was born 1558 in Granada, Spain...
as chapel master. He left Santiago de Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
on 12 July, 1606, and began his tenure in Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
on 15 September. He remained there until his death in 1629.
Work
One of his most important achievements for posterity was the compilation and binding in 1602 of various choir books containing Roman Catholic liturgical polyphonyPolyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
, several of which are extant in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. These manuscripts contain music by Spanish composers Francisco Guerrero
Francisco Guerrero
Francisco Guerrero was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He was born and died in Seville.Guerrero's early musical education was with his older brother Pedro. He must have been an astonishing prodigy, for at the age of 17 he was already appointed maestro de capilla at Jaén Cathedral...
, Cristóbal de Morales
Cristóbal 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 Pedro Bermúdez
Pedro Bermúdez
Pedro Bermúdez was a Spanish composer and chapel master, who has been recognised as one of the most outstanding polyphonists in the New World, and who was active in Granada, Antequera, Cusco, Santiago de Guatemala , and Puebla.-Life:Pedro Bermúdez was born 1558 in Granada, Spain...
; the latter was with Fernandes at the time in the cathedral of Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. To complete these books, Fernandes composed a cycle of 8 Benedicamus Domino, the versicle
Versicle
A versicle is the first half of one of a set of preces, said or sung by an officiant or cantor and answered with a said or sung response by the congregation or choir...
that follows the 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...
at vespers
Vespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
and certain Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
es, one in each of the 8 ecclesiastical tones or modes. He also added his own setting of the 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...
in the fifth tone, some faux bordon versicles without text, and a vespers
Vespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
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...
for the Feast of the Guardian Angels
Feast of the Guardian Angels
The Feast of the Guardian Angels is a feast of the Catholic Church officially observed on 2 October. In Germany and some other places, the feast is observed on the first Sunday in September with the permission of the Vatican...
.
During his Puebla tenure, rather than focusing on the composition of Latin liturgical music, he contributed a sizable amount of vernacular 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 for matins
Matins
Matins is the early morning or night prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. The term is also used in some Protestant denominations to describe morning services.The name "Matins" originally referred to the morning office also...
. This part of his output shows great variety in the handling of texts, which are in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
but also in pseudo-African and Amerindian dialects and occasionally Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
. One of these 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, "Xicochi
Xicochi
Xicochi is a 17th century motet, written by Gaspar Fernandes while he was organist of Puebla Cathedral. It serves as an example of the influence of indigenous Nahua culture, dominant in Mesoamérica at the time, on colonial Spanish music....
," is notable for its use of Nahuatl
Nahuatl dialects
The many dialects of the Nahuatl language belong to the Nahuan branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family, and form a group of linguistic varieties spoken in central Mexico...
, the language of the indigenous Nahua people. The music departs from 16th century counterpoint
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,...
and reflects the new baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
search for text expression. The main collection of these 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 is extant in the Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
Codex, and has been studied, edited, and published by Robert Stevenson
Robert Stevenson (musicologist)
Robert Murrell Stevenson is an American musicologist. He studied at the college of mines and metallurgy of the University of Texas at El Paso]] , the Juilliard School of Music , Yale University and the University of Rochester ; further study took him to Harvard University , Princeton...
and especially by Aurelio Tello.