From the 1580s, three choirs of musicians became standard in Rome for Mass and Vespers on major feast days, indicating Victoria's music was widely heard.
Composer Biography
In 1585, King Philip II appointed Victoria as chaplain to his sister, the Dowager Empress Maria, at the Convento de las Descalzas Reales in Madrid.
Composition History
Victoria's maiden publication in 1572 was a volume containing thirty-three motets, including one eight-voice double-choir Ave Maria.
Compositional Technique
Victoria's 1583 publication included a twelve-voice setting of Psalm 122, Laetatus sum, which was the first Roman triple choir music to be published.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Tomás Luis de Victoria, the composer, is described as a scholar, mystic, priest, singer, organist, and composer, making him one of the most outstanding composers of the Renaissance.
Composer Biography
Victoria devoted his life to the church, and his works are noted for their heartfelt passion and intensity.
Interpretation
This recording features instrumental doubling of voices in the Mass, Psalm Laetatus sum, and Magnificat, in line with contemporary Spanish practice.
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