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The ‘Spanish Chapel’ of Philip II

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Isabel Pope*
Affiliation:
Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Extract

In the introductory section of La Música en la Corte de Carlos V (Barcelona, 1944), Dr. Higinio Anglés published a series of documents from the Archives at Simancas which showed that a Chapel composed exclusively of Spanish musicians was attached to the Royal Court of Spain as early as 1526 and existed simultaneously with the Emperor's Flemish Chapel from that time. The Spanish Chapel was established by the Empress, Isabel of Portugal, the wife of Charles V, who acted as his regent during his many and prolonged absences from Spain. While the Flemish Chapel regularly accompanied the Emperor on his journeys, the chapel of the Empress belonged to her household and remained permanently in Spain. It is interesting to note the name of Antonio de Cabezón in the first list of cantors of this chapel. The name of the great composer of keyboard music appeared continuously among the musicians attached to the Royal Court until he died in 1566.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Renaissance Society of America 1952

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References

1 Anglés, Higinio: La Música en la Corte de Carlos V, Barcelona, 1944, p. 137140.Google Scholar

2 van der Straeten, Edmond: Musique aux Pays-Bas, Brussels, 1886, vol. viii, p. 15.Google Scholar

3 van der Straeten, Edmond: op. cit., vol. viii, p. 427.Google Scholar

4 By examining the documents published by H. Anglés in the above mentioned work it is possible to trace back the careers of most of the musicians who composed the Spanish Chapel in this first period over a long period of years. Some even belonged to the chapel established by the Empress Isabel, wife of Charles V; others served in the Chapel of the Infantas or in that of Prince Philip from an early date.