Gaspar Fernandes

Gaspar Fernandes (Spanish Gaspar Fernández, * 1566 in Évora, Portugal, † 1629 in Puebla in present-day Mexico) was a Portuguese composer, organist and conductor of the Renaissance in Latin America. He worked in the cathedrals of Santiago de Guatemala, today Antigua Guatemala, and Puebla de los Ángeles, New Spain.

Life

It is generally accepted today by the musicological research that Gaspar Fernández from Evora comes in Portugal, where he received his musical education and where he is attested in 1590 as a singer and organist of the cathedral. Most music historians agree that this Gaspard Fernandes is identical with the man, the organist of the Cathedral of Santiago, the capital of Central America, Guatemala (now Antigua Guatemala ) was appointed on July 16, 1599. 1606 offered him the dignitaries of the Cathedral of Puebla the post of Kapellmeister at the hitherto Fernandes ' late friend from times together in Santiago, Pedro Bermúdez had occupied. On July 12 of the same year left Fernandes Santiago and entered on September 15, his office in Puebla de los Ángeles, New Spain, today Puebla, Mexico, in which he held until his death in 1629.

Work

One of the major achievements for posterity Fernandes ' was his collection and editing a variety of books with choral music, including the Roman Catholic polyphonic liturgy, some of which are preserved in Guatemala. They contain works of Spanish composers Francisco Guerrero, Cristóbal de Morales and Pedro Bermúdez. To complete these books composed Fernandes a cycle of eight Benedicamus Domino ( the verse which follows at Vespers and certain measurement on the Magnificat ), each in a different church mode. He also added his own setting of the Magnificat in the fifth church mode, some Fauxbourdons without text and a Vespers hymn for the guardian angel hard time.

During his time in Puebla, he focused less on the composition of Latin liturgical music, but wrote a considerable number of popular villancicos for Matins. This part of his work shows a wide range of language: from Spanish via pseudo- African to Indian, and occasionally Portuguese texts. One of the villancicos, Xicochi, is notable for its use of the Aztec. His music leaves the counterpoint of the 16th century and reflects the new baroque search for expression of the text. The largest part of this collection is preserved in Oaxaca Codex and has been researched, edited and published by Robert Stevenson and Aurelio Tello.

Fernández is the history of music from Central and Latin America is of paramount importance, since it has compiled together with his Kapellmeister Pedro Bermúdez, the four surviving in the Cathedral of Guatemala choir books that enable us today, the liturgical music of the turn of the 16th to the 17th century to explore. Of his own compositions Vespers he steered a cycle of polyphonic settings of verse Benedicamus at Domino, and a Magnificat in the fifth mode and the anthem Custodes Hominum, both for four-part choir a cappella.

Works

• Magnificat quinti toni (1602 ), about the biblical text (Luke 1:46-55 ).
• 8 Benedicamus Domino ( 1602), the conclusion of Vespers.
• Custodes hominum ( 1605 ), Vespers hymn for the Feast of the angels.
• Numerous villancicos about texts in different languages.