Fernando de las Infantas facts for kids

Fernando de las Infantas (born 1534, died around 1610) was a Spanish nobleman, a talented composer, and a theologian. He lived a long time ago, during the Renaissance period. He is known for his beautiful sacred music.

His Life Story

Fernando de las Infantas was born in Córdoba, Spain, in 1534. His family was important and well-known in Córdoba. His ancestors were called "Infantas" because they helped two daughters of King Pedro I of Castile stay safe.

Because of his family's wealth, Fernando had a great education. He also received money from his family while he lived in Rome.

From 1572 to 1597, Infantas lived in Rome. He chose to help at a hospital for people who were poor. In 1577, he had a disagreement with Pope Gregory XIII. This was about changes to Gregorian chant, which is a type of church music. Other composers like Palestrina were also involved. At one point, King Philip II of Spain had to ask his ambassador to speak with the Pope about the issue.

In 1584, Fernando de las Infantas became a priest. He served a small church outside of Rome. He returned to Spain by 1608 and likely passed away around 1610.

His Musical Works

Fernando de las Infantas wrote many pieces of music, mostly for church services. These were often called "motets," which are special songs for choirs. Many of his works were printed in Venice, Italy.

Printed Collections

• 1578 Op. 1 Sacrarum Cantionum Liber I.: This was his first book of motets. It had 37 motets written for four voices.
• 1578 Op. 2 Sacrarum Cantionum Liber II.: His second book of motets. It contained 30 motets for five voices.
• 1579 Op. 3 Sacrarum Cantionum Liber III.: The third book of motets, written for six voices.
• 1579 Op. 4 Plura modulationum.: This book had 101 musical exercises. They were for 2 to 8 parts and based on a specific chant from Psalm 116.

Important Individual Pieces

• Psalm Congregati sunt: This piece was a prayer for victory over the Ottoman navy. It also asked for the end of the Turkish siege of Malta in 1565.
• Psalm Ecce quam bonum: This music celebrated the Sacred Treaty of 1570. This treaty created the Holy League between Venice, Spain, and Rome. They joined forces to defend against the Ottoman navy.
• Canticum Moysis (Song of Moses, from the Bible): This motet celebrated the third Battle of Lepanto in 1571. This was a very important victory for Spain. It is the only known motet that remembers this famous battle.
• Dum preliatur Michael: This is the only known musical setting of this text from the 1500s that uses many voices.

Recordings

• Fernando de las Infantas: Motetes. Performed by Ensemble Plus Ultra, directed by Michael Noone. This recording is part of the Documentos Sonoros del Patrimonio Musical de Andalucía (Sound Documents of the Musical Heritage of Andalusia) series. It was released on CD by Almaviva in 2004.

See also

In Spanish: Fernando de las Infantas para niños