Streams of Tears

CORO The Sixteen Edition CORO Other Sixteen Edition recordings on CORO Teixeira -Te Deum Victoria - Requiem 1605 A multi-award winning recording of this Priest, scholar and singer, this remarkable exuberant piece. Spaniard epitomised the emotion "A real eye-opener that demands to be and fervour of heard." Renaissance Europe. the gramophone Victoria's lavish Requiem became "Continuously his most famous and exhilarating." the financial times revered work. cor16009 corsacd16033 Streams Iste Confessor A Golden Age The Sacred Music of Domenico Scarlatti, Renaissance sacred music from Portugal by including his Diego Dias Melgás of Tears celebrated setting of and João Laurenço Stabat Mater. Rebelo "Outstanding... "One of the best and Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla astonishing stylistic most interesting discs and expressive by The Sixteen in range." recent years, and the bbc music magazine sound is excellent." The Sixteen the gramophone The Voices of cor16003 cor16020 harry christophers To find out more about The Sixteen, concert tours, and to buy CDs, visit www.thesixteen.com cor16059 The title for this disc of music by Padilla reflects not only the content of the programme, the tears shed Streams of Tears for Christ on the cross both in sadness and in hope, Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla (c.1590 - 1664) but also that period in history known as the Siglo de Oro when the countries of the Iberian peninsular 1 Deus in adiutorium 2.09 were masters of the great ocean and in the process of 2 Mirabilia testimonia tua 8.18 discovering and developing new continents. Padilla 3 is symbolic of this age; a native of Spain himself, Stabat Mater 2.54 he emigrated to Mexico. This was a time when the 4 Transfige, dulcissime Domine 4.15 church had money as well as a great appreciation of 5 Lamentations 12.41 art in the service of the church. 6 Tristis est anima mea 3.12 For Padilla it must have been an unique, exciting yet daunting experience (for those of you have seen the iconic film The Mission, you will understand my 7 Versa est in luctum 3.10 adjectives). The new cathedral established in Puebla was to be home to Padilla and it was soon to become a musical establishment of some excellence, even rivalling Missa Ave Regina caelorum many in Europe. He had countless singers and instrumentalists at his disposal and 8 Kyrie 2.47 his music without doubt reflects the opulence and daring of the New World. 9 Gloria 3.57 Around the time we recorded this disc, we had the great fortune to do a short tour bl of Mexico; although we did not visit Puebla Cathedral we did experience performing Credo 5.55 in similar opulent seventeenth-century churches in Morelia and the Church of San bm Sanctus 1.24 Francisco Javier, which had been part of the Jesuit school at Tepotzotlan, Mexico bn City. The paintings and sculptures so brilliantly preserved were breathtaking; the Pater peccavi 4.46 abundance of gold gave added splendour to the glories of Padilla's music. soli: Julie Cooper, Ben Davies, Mark Dobell, Eamonn Dougan bo Salve Regina 7.16 bp Ave Regina caelorum 3.21 Total playing time 67.25 2 3 n 1519 the Spanish adventurer, century, the whole country had been Veracruz and Mexico City, was founded predecessors included Pedro Bermúdez Hernan Cortés, landed near the fully subjugated. With such rapid in 1531, unusually a completely new (1603 - ca.1606) and Gaspar Fernandez Isite of modern-day Veracruz on the progress and growth, church musicians foundation, rather than supplanting an (1606 - 1629), both of them composers. coast of the Gulf of Mexico, leading were needed, and must have found existing native settlement. It quickly an expedition from Cuba to explore employment in the rich new colony an established itself as the second city The new cathedral at Puebla was and secure the interior for Spain, as a attractive proposition. Among these of the new colony and by 1539 it had prelude to colonisation. With him were were Hernando Franco, born near a cathedral. The present cathedral, just a few hundred men, some horses, Alcántara, Spain, who emigrated to however, was begun in 1562, finally several dogs, and one cannon; in front Guatemala City in 1554, later becoming completed in the mid seventeenth of them pestilential swamps and forests, choirmaster (until his death in 1585) century, dedicated in 1649 by Bishop and a twenty-five million-strong native at Mexico City Cathedral; and Juan Palafox, (who was also notable for population. Yet less than three years Gutiérrez de Padilla himself, the donating to the city a public library of later, the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan composer of the music recorded here. five thousand volumes in 1646). (soon to become Mexico City), and Padilla was born in Spain at Málaga, the Aztec nation, had fallen to him probably in 1590, and he was trained Padilla would have found a thriving and to Spain. Cortés was appointed at the cathedral there by Francisco musical culture in the churches, the governor of this Nueva España (New Vásquez; by 1613 he was maestro de repertoire featuring many of the major Spain) in 1522. Hard on his heels came capilla at the cathedral in Jérez de la European composers of note of the the settlers and the Church (the first Frontera and later, for about four years time (we find works by Palestrina, Franciscan monks arrived in 1524). A until 1620, he held the same post at Morales, Guerrero, Navarro, Victoria, frenzy of building followed, with many Cádiz. When he went to Mexico is not A. Lobo, Rogier, Ghersem, Vivanco new towns laid out in the Spanish style known precisely, but he had become a preserved in the Puebla Cathedral of a central plaza (zócalo) surrounded singer and assistant maestro at Puebla music library). Music in New Spain by a grid of streets, and of course a Cathedral by 1622, being promoted to was always modelled on that of multitude of churches were built to maestro de capilla in 1629, a post he Old Spain, and the cathedral music accommodate the innumerable new held until his death in 1664. The city tradition was fully established there converts from the native population. of Puebla (de los Angeles), a staging by the beginning of the seventeenth By the beginning of the seventeenth post on the road between the port of century. At the old cathedral, Padilla’s Puebla Cathedral 4 5 particularly impressive, its interior Perhaps such occasional, popular organ and bajón were used. For this decorated in gold, onyx and marble, pieces were not thought worthy of recording, organ, harp, theorbo and belying its dull grey outside, second in preservation. bajón are used to accompany and for magnificence only to that of Mexico doubling the voice parts. City eighty miles to the north. And it The source for the main bulk of Padilla's was completed by and thrived under surviving music is a large choirbook Notable in Padilla’s output are several Bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, who preserved in Puebla Cathedral itself. pieces for high voices and baritone for arrived there in 1640. He was not only It was copied in 1663 by order of the Holy Week, and some highly expressive wealthy but had an interest in, and an Cathedral Chapter, who desired that motets for five and six voices, in a appreciation of, Art in the service of the all Padilla’s works be collected and confident, but conservative polyphonic Church. So it was during his episcopacy bound together, so great was the esteem style, carrying on that great tradition that much money was invested in the in which his music was held during of native Spanish polyphony of the choir and instrumental players, and his lifetime. Double-choir music (for sixteenth century. The new Italian style in music for them. The choir under eight voices) dominates his output - of does not seem to have attracted Padilla; Padilla in 1645 included 28 men and course, the layout of Spanish churches however, there is a rich harmonic 14 boys, some of the men also being at the time, with the choir bisecting language, replete with chromatic shifts, players of instruments such as the harp, the nave, enclosed on three sides and that links his music firmly to the the organ and the bajón - bringing with the singers sitting in two sets seventeenth century. An outstanding Puebla Cathedral to the position of of rows opposite each other, favoured and obvious feature is the energy and richest musical establishment in the cori spezzati and their antiphonal rhythmic drive he generates, notably in Spanish Empire outside Spain itself. possibilities, and the use of instruments. the double choir pieces: syncopations, Juan de Palafox y Mendoza During Padilla’s time, instrumental frequent off-beat entries, jumps Padilla’s surviving music comprises composition, to be performed at Matins participation, often lavish, would have from major to minor (sometimes Masses, Motets, Psalms, Hymns, a and Vespers on saints’ and major feast been routine, certainly at the more overlapping), all combine to keep his Passion, Holy Week music and two days. Many villancico texts (in Spanish, important Feasts, and some of the music very alive and often positively sets of Lamentations. He may also have of course) survive from the period, wind players would have been expected exciting, full of New World sunshine. written villancicos, for the church at often by the famous Sor Juana Inés de la to sing too at those services during In the Church year, there is a time for that time actively encouraged their Cruz, but the music is no longer extant.

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