Manuel José de Quirós
Encyclopedia
Life
Born in Santiago de Guatemala, present day Antigua GuatemalaAntigua 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...
, towards the end of the 17th century, Quirós had a religious education while pursuing his musical apprenticeship and reaching the level of a journeyman. Having taken Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
orders, he was put in charge of the Franciscan press, where he served until 1738, when he was appointed chapel master of the cathedral choir and orchestra. He served in this capacity for 27 years, until his death in 1765. As chapel master, he was in charge of the education of choir boys and apprentices, besides conducting the cathedral liturgical music
Liturgical music
Liturgical music originated as a part of religious ceremony, and includes a number of traditions, both ancient and modern. Liturgical music is well known as a part of Catholic Mass, the Anglican Holy Communion service , the Lutheran Divine Service, the Orthodox liturgy and other Christian services...
. Among his pupils, the most outstanding was Rafael Antonio Castellanos
Rafael Antonio Castellanos
Rafael Antonio Castellanos was a Guatemalan classical composer. His style is that of the late Spanish baroque, pre-classical, and classical periods, with frequent reference to Guatemalan folk music idioms.-Life:...
.
Quirós is the first musician in the New World to receive a critical review. On the occasion of the ceremonies that elevated the Bishopric
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Guatemala to the rank of an Archbishopric, Quirós provided liturgical music during the nine days of celebration in November, 1745. Writer Antonio de Paz y Salgado, a high official in the Spanish colonial government, published his enthusiastic review of these musical performances two years later in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.
A considerable number of Quirós' works are contained in the archive at 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...
Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
Works
Besides arranging a sizable amount of music sent from SpainSpain
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...
, Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, and Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Quirós also provided a number of original 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, sacred songs, and cantatas for matins of different feasts of the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
year:
- Cándidos cisnes, solo voice, continuo
- Oigan una xacarilla, solo voice, continuo
- Una escuela de muchachos, 4 voices, horns, violins and continuo
- Venid, venid a las aras de Dios y de Juan, solo voice, continuo
- Yo la tengo de cantar, solo voice, continuo
- Cantad, gilguerillos, 2 treble voices, continuo
- Clarines suaves, 2 treble voices, continuo
- Jesús, Jesús, y lo que subes (1743), 2 treble voices, continuo
- Hoy que en las sacras aras, 2 voices, continuo
- Oh admirable sacramento, 2 voices, continuo
- Vagelillo que al viento, 2 voices, 2 violins, continuo
- Ay niña bella, 2 voices, continuo
- Joseph Antonio, tus dos nombres, 2 voices, continuo
- Oigan los triunfos de Domingo Santo, 2 voices, continuo
- Qué bien, chorus, continuo
- Ay Jesús, chorus, continuo
- A el pan de los cielos den adoraciones, chorus, continuo
- Lucid fragante rosa, chorus, continuo (1741)
- Un hombre Dios, 4 voices, continuo
- Luz a luz, y gracia a gracia
- El baratillo (1758)
Liturgical works on Latin texts
- Cor mundum, voice, two violins, continuo
- Liberame, voice, two violins, continuo
- Auditi meo, two choirs, continuo
- Ne recorderis, chorus, continuo
- Iod manum suam, solo voice, continuo
- Parce mihi Domine,, two choirs, continuo
- Laudate pueri Dominum, SATB chorus, 2 violins, continuo
- Sanctus Deus (1760), chorus, continuo
Negrillos
- Digo a Siola Negla (1736)
- Pues que de pascuas estamos (1745)
- Amotinados los negros
- Jesuclisa Magdalena (1745)
- Vengo turo flanciquillo (1746)