❧ The so-called Good Friday procession organized by the Misericórdia of Évora in 1656, was in fact the procession of the Soledade. This procession seemed to be a strong Iberian devotion that commemorated the solitude of the Virgin Mary on Holy Saturday, and was part of a wider devotion practised on Good Friday. The so-called Good Friday procession organized by …
❧ Most of what we read regarding the musical activity in Évora Cathedral from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries is frequently focused on the careers and compositions of the institution’s most distinguished chapel masters. Indeed, this happens in many cases as a result of the amount and availability of documental sources regarding their activity. By contrast, when speaking about …
Manuel Botelho, a musician in 17th-century Évora ❧ read more »
❧ Among the recent readings on Iberian music in the last decades of the seventeenth and early decades of the eighteenth century, one interesting aspect called my attention which is centred on the controversy around the Catalan composer Francisco Valls’s Missa Scala Aretina that developed during the first decades of the eighteenth century. Among the recent readings on Iberian music …
The Francisco Valls’s Missa Scala Aretina controversy ❧ read more »
❧ Processions imploring for rain (ad petendam pluviam) are a constant occurrence in the Early Modern World. During the extended periods of extreme drought Man turned to the divine forces to ensure his subsistence directly related to the cultivation of the fields and harvesting of cereals to make bread as well as other foods. Processions imploring for rain (ad petendam …
A procession imploring for rain in seventeenth century Évora ❧ read more »
The Church of Santo Antão (dedicated to St Anthony, Abbot) was one of the main construction projects of the Cardinal D. Henrique during his government as Archbishop of Évora. During Medieval times it is referenced as the Church of Santo Antoninho in the city’s main square, annexed to the hospital and lodging facilities in charge of the Order of the …
Organ activity in the Church of Santo Antão, Évora, in the 1570s ❧ read more »
The entries and visits of kings to the cities were always moments of grandeur, consisting in the perfect moments for the commission of artworks as well as social gatherings and much activity among the ruling classes of the cities and villages visited. To write about this would be too extensive for this kind of text so, in order to keep …
A visit to the Convent of Calvário in Évora by King Philip III ❧ read more »
To write about musicians, composers, or even chapel masters in Évora during the sixteenth century frequently represents a challenge, to say the least, due to the scarcity of sources and accounts regarding their professional careers or their own biographies. The case of the singer, composer, and master Francisco Velez is no exception being part of a group of musicians of …
Francisco Velez, a musician in sixteenth century Évora ❧ read more »