Introduction

Iberian organ music to c1700 is traditional, in that the principles of composition in the works of composers of the siglo de oro, such as Morales and Victoria, are essentially maintained in the various types of organ music through the seventeenth century. There is the lasting impression that, although ornamentation and registration are becoming increasingly elaborate, the musical motet style of c1500 provides the basic technical structure right up to Cabanilles; colour and elaboration are applied within this style rather than constituting a part of some new way of composing, as in French or German late seventeenth-century organ music. Iberian composers, however they may compare for progressiveness and even technical ability with their contemporaries in other European countries, show tremendous musical expressiveness and conviction in their works. It is conspicuous that composers of vocal music (e.g. Morales, Guerrero, Cebollas, Victoria) and those for organ described here are almost mutually exclusive. Organists did not always occupy the position of maestro de capilla: Cabezón was musico de cámara y capilla to Philip II, Aguilera's position in Huesca (Aragon) was designated Portionarius et organis praeceptor, while Correa de Arauxo and Cabanilles were organists in Seville and Valencia respectively. Most likely there were regional characteristics: Francisco Peraza, Diego del Castillo as well as Correa lived in Seville, while Aguilera, Jimenez and Bruna were active in Zaragoza, but because of the relatively small quantity of surviving music and instruments any definite conclusions could be misleading.