Francisco Gabriel Gálvez facts for kids

Francisco Gabriel Gálvez (born around 1510, died 1578) was a Spanish composer from the Renaissance period. He wrote sacred music, which is music for religious services. Gálvez was the maestro di cappella (which means choirmaster or music director) at Cuenca Cathedral from 1560 until he died. Only one of his musical pieces, a five-part motet called Emendemus in melius, still exists today.

Life of Francisco Gálvez

We do not know much about Gálvez's early life. A music expert named Miguel Martínez Millán thought Gálvez was born near Cuenca. Many people named Gálvez were musicians at the Cuenca Cathedral.

Early Career and Cuenca Cathedral

Gálvez worked as a musician in Rome at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. In 1560, he was asked to come to Spain. He became the choirmaster at Cuenca Cathedral. He stayed in this job for the rest of his life.

For a short time, from September 1563 to March 1564, he left his job. This was because of a disagreement about his pay. He returned when the cathedral offered him more money. They also paid him for the time he was away. Later, he received another large pay raise. This was to match an offer from the Cathedral of Segovia.

Death and Burial

Martínez Millán believed Gálvez died soon after July 10, 1578. In September of that year, Ginés de Boluda took over his job. Gálvez is buried in Cuenca Cathedral. His grave is next to an altar in the nave, to the left of the choir. He was the first choirmaster of the cathedral to be buried there.

Gálvez gave the cathedral a collection of his works in 1561. In 1567, he gave them a book of his hymns and Magnificat settings. Both of these collections are now lost.

Gálvez's Surviving Music

The only piece of music by Gálvez that we still have is a five-part motet. A motet is a type of choral music, usually sacred. This motet is called Emendemus in melius. He wrote it for the first Sunday of Lent. The original music is kept in the archives of the Sistine Chapel Choir.

Modern Performances and Recordings

The Sistine Chapel Choir performed this work. They included it on their 2019 recording, O Crux Benedicta. A copy of the music was published in 1975. It appeared in Tesoro Sacro Musical, a music journal.

Connection to Palestrina

Some people believe that a famous composer named Palestrina used Gálvez's music. Giuseppe Baini, a director of the Sistine Chapel Choir, thought so. He said Palestrina used the main idea from Gálvez's motet. Palestrina then used it to write his own four-part mass in 1594.

However, another music expert, Samuel Rubio, disagreed. He said the two pieces of music were too different. He also wondered if "Cabreli Cálvez" on the music was really Francisco Gabriel Gálvez. He thought it might have been a different person.