Charles V and the Spanish Golden Age: music for an empire where the sun never sets
Music by Morales, Guerrero, Anchieta, Vasquez, Crecquillon, Victoria and others
At seventeen, Charles moved from his birthplace in Flanders to claim his throne in Spain, the epicentre of his empire, where a great flourishing of the arts had already begun. Educated in music from an early age, Charles brought his Flemish ‘chapel’ (musical establishment) to Spain with him. This prestigious group of singers became known as the Capilla Flamenca, and accompanied him as he moved about his empire – a quarter of his reign was spent on the road. Senfl was one of many composers who wrote music (Martia, terque quater) in honour of the Emperor’s visits. Ecce, Carolus venit!
When the Emperor and Empress travelled in Spain, they visited the great cathedrals, each with its own rich musical establishment. Morales, ‘the light of Spain in music’, who wrote the mass for Charles and Isabella’s wedding, was employed by several of these cathedrals, including Toledo (where Dr Michael Noone has carried out some remarkable detective work on manuscripts too water-damaged to open, containing, among many other gems, Morales’ gorgeous Asperges me). Morales’ prolific pupil Guerrero was also admired by Charles – understandably, given the beauty of such works as his uplifting Regina caeli. A less familiar name from the same ‘school’ is Juan Vasquez, whose charming villancicos (such as Con que la lavaré) are a joy to sing or play. Crecquillon, however, was the one chosen by Charles to write music to mourn the death of his wife: two settings of Mort m’a privé and a mass based on these.
Upon Charles’ death, his son Philip inherited all of the royal musical establishments, amalgamating them into one, the Capilla Real Española, and ushering in the Golden Age of Spanish music and its star, Victoria…
Learn more about the Renaissance Summer School:
https://www.cambridgeearlymusic.org/renaissance-week/
Also check out other Music events in Hitchin, Arts events in Hitchin.
