In the footsteps of Antonio de Cabezón

We met in front of school 3th March at 8:30 like every day. We planned to follow in the footsteps of Antonio de Cabezón. Our bus headed for Castrillo Mota de Judíos, to a birthplace of the famous composer.

Antonio de Cabezón was a Spanish Renaissance composer and organist. He was born in 1510 in Castrillo Mota de Judíos – a small village close to Burgos. There is a monument in memory of Cabezón on the square. He was blinded in early childhood and he was educated by organist in a cathedral in Palencia. Isabella of Portugal, a wife of Charles V, who was a Holy Roman Emperor, employed Cabezón in 1526. His duties included playing the clavichord (a European stringed keyboard instrument) and the organ. He also assumed the position of organist at the chapel organized by Isabella and he remained with the royal family for the rest of his life. After Isabella’s death Cabezón was appointed music teacher to her children Joan, Maria and Felipe. Felipe became Regent of Spain and he made Cabezón his court organist. Actually, nothing is known about Cabezón's personal life. He had five children with his wife Luisa. Two of these children were successful musicians. Cabezón died in Madrin in 1566.
Most of his surviving works were publicated in compilation Libro de cifra nueva. His son Hernando published posthumously many of Cabezón‘s songs.

We visited house of the spanish composer at first. The house seemed really authentically. We saw two furnished rooms and heard short lecture about Cabezón.

Really amazing experience was when we could sing in church in Castrillo and we were pleased, because we love singing in places with good acoustics.

Then we went to Torquemada. The aim of our journey was organ workshop Citores (el Taller de Organería Acitores, S.L.). There was a woman and man who welcomed us and we were guided by them. They gave us a english and german interpretation about workshop, showed us production process from the beginning and told us how the organ works. We found that production process take about six months. There are 13 people employed and they perform their work manually.

We sat in the bus again after visitation and went to Palencia. There Cabezón was raised by his uncle and he was starting playing the organ in cathedral in Palencia. We visited Conservatory of Music in Palencia in the afternoon, where guide showed us a few classrooms and explained principles of teaching music in Spain. After a short lecture one of professors from conservatory performed organ recital the work of Antonio de Cabezón.

Then we went for a walk through Palencia and saw a few historical buildings, for example the cathedral.

Thereafter we went to Burgos, capital of province. We stayed in front of cathedral after 4. pm and we were really impressed by appearance of the cathedral. It was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984. We saw there a organ from the workshop in Torquemada. The guide give us interesting english lecture and when she found we are choir, she organized a little improvised concert there. It was better experience than singing in the church in Castrillo Mota de Judíos. Other visitors stopped and were listening carefuly. After singing three of our songs (Solis praevia, Pater noster and Santo) we recieved applause, so we were really very pleased.

There was a opportunity to buy something to eat or to drink in shopping center Alcampo after visitation of the cathedral. Then we returned to Lerma and our families took over us here. We were tired, but absolutely satisfied.  

 

Translatedy by: Darina Kadrnožková