Francisco de la Torre (c. 1483 – c. 1504) 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 Fer...(+)
Francisco de la Torre (c. 1483 – c. 1504) 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 villancicos
(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.
Although originally written for Period Instruments, I
created this arrangement for Woodwind Quintet (Flute,
Oboe, Bb Clarinet, French Horn & Bassoon).
