Estêvão de Brito facts for kids
Estêvão de Brito (around 1570–1641) was a talented Portuguese composer. He wrote many pieces of polyphony, which is music with several independent voice parts singing together.
His Life Story
Estêvão de Brito was born in Serpa, Portugal. He learned music at the Cathedral of Évora. His teacher was a famous musician named Filipe de Magalhães.
In 1597, Estêvão de Brito became the mestre de capela (music director) at the Cathedral of Badajoz in Spain. He stayed there for many years, until 1613.
After that, he moved to the cathedral in Málaga. There, he took over the same important job that Cristóbal de Morales had held 50 years before. Estêvão de Brito lived and worked in Málaga until he passed away in 1641.
His Music and Compositions
Estêvão de Brito wrote many villancicos and cançonetas. These were popular types of songs, often created for Christian holidays like Christmas and Corpus Christi. Sadly, most of these songs were lost during the big 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
However, many of his important church music pieces survived. These are called liturgical pieces. They include masses, motets, psalms, and hymns. He wrote these pieces for 4, 5, 6, or even 8 voices singing at once.
Hearing His Music Today
You can still listen to some of Estêvão de Brito's music on these recordings:
- 1993, Portuguese Renaissance Music, by Voces Angelicae, Teldec Classics International 4509-93690-2
- This album includes 5 pieces by de Brito.
- 1991, Lamentations, by Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly, Naxos - Early Music
- This recording features his Lamentations of Jeremiah, along with works by other composers.
See also
In Spanish: Esteban de Brito para niños
