Juan de Anchieta

Juan de Anchieta (1462 – 1523) was a leading Spanish Basque composer of the Renaissance, he served as a singer and chapel master in the royal court of the Catholic Monarchs and their successors. Anchieta was closely associated with Queen Isabella I of Castile, Prince John, Queen Joanna of Castile, and the future Emperor Charles V, for whom he acted as a music teacher.

Biography Juan de Anchieta was born in Azpeitia, in 1462 to a leading Basque family, his mother was a great-aunt of Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. He may have studied at Salamenca University with music professor Diego de Fermoselle, older brother of Juan del Encina.

He officially joined the royal chapel of Queen Isabella as a chaplain and singer on 6 February 1489. At the time of his appointment, he was approximately twenty-seven years old. His initial annual salary was 20,000 maravedís, which was calculated from the standard 8,000 maravedís for chaplains alongside an additional 12,000 maravedís allocated for lay singers.

Returning to the Queen's service after the Prince's death in 1497, and in 1504, to that of the new Queen, Joanna the Mad. In her service he travelled to Flanders with Pierre de La Rue, Alexander Agricola, and Marbrianus de Orto. He held various church benefices; from 1499 he was absentee benefice-holder at Villarino, from 1500 he was rector at the parish church of S Sebastián de Soreasu in Azpeitia, from 1518 he was Abbot of Arbós, a town located at the province of Tarragona, and a chaplain at Granada Cathedral, spending his final years in a Franciscan convent he had founded in Azpeitia. His nephew, García de Anchieta, was to be his successor at S Sebastián de Soreasu, but he was assassinated before he could take charge. He was not very progressive, but his compositions showcased mastery over the Spanish Renaissance style. His music was generally written for large choirs and included frequent imitation at the unison, fourth, fifth, and octave. The four Passion settings attributed to him, homophonic four-voice responsorials, are the first of their kind in Spain. One of his most popular pieces was Dos ánades, which was described by Francisco de Quevedo in 1626 as "frequently sung, though old fashioned".

Works

Masses, mass movements and magnificats Missa quarti toni Missa Rex virginum Missa ‘Ea iudios a enfardelar’ (lost) Kyrie, 4vv Magnificat, 3vv Magnificat, 4vv

Passions Pasión según San Mateo Pasión según San Marcos Pasión según San Lucas Pasión según San Juan

Motets Ave sanctissima Maria Ave verum corpus Conditor alme siderum Domine Jesu Christe qui hora in diei ultima Domine, ne memineris Domine, non secundum peccata nostra In passione Domini Libera me, Domine Salve regina Salve sancta facies Salve sancta parents Sancta Mariai Virgo et mater O bone Jesu

Secular Con amores, la mi madre Donsella, madre de Dios Dos ánades En memoria d'Alixandre