Gabriel Díaz Bessón facts for kids
Gabriel Díaz Bessón (born 1590 – died November 6, 1638) was a talented Spanish composer. He lived a long time ago, during a period called the Baroque era. He wrote many beautiful pieces of music that were enjoyed by kings and dukes.
Early Life and Career
Gabriel Díaz Bessón was born in a town called Alcalá de Henares in Spain. He became a very important musician. He was the maestro de capilla (which means "chapel master" or music director) at the Royal Convent of La Encarnación in Madrid. This was a big job, as he was in charge of all the music for the church.
From 1616, he worked for Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas, 1st Duke of Lerma. The Duke was a powerful person and a close friend of Philip III of Spain, the king at that time. The Duke loved music and had his own group of musicians in Lerma, a town in the Burgos region. A special church, the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter, was opened there in 1617.
When Philip IV of Spain became king in 1621, Díaz Bessón continued his work. He served as a capellán (chaplain, often involved with music) at different important churches. He worked at Granada Cathedral, then at Córdoba (from 1624 to 1631). Finally, he worked at the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales in Madrid.
It might seem like his jobs overlapped, but he was often the main music director for the Royal Chapel in Madrid. At the same time, he held the title of maestro de capilla for other cathedrals. In 1628, another composer named Carlos Patiño took over his role at the Royal Convent of La Encarnación. Later, in 1634, Patiño was chosen over Díaz Bessón to lead the famous Flemish Chapel (Capilla flamenca). This chapel was a very important musical group for the Spanish kings. Díaz Bessón passed away four years later in Madrid.
His Amazing Music
People at the time said that Díaz Bessón's music was "celestial," meaning it sounded like it came from heaven! He wrote music for all the main types of musical groups and events of his time. He composed:
- Masses: These are long musical pieces for church services.
- Requiem: A special mass for the dead.
- Motets: Short pieces of sacred choral music.
- Psalms: Musical settings of texts from the Bible.
- Antiphons: Short pieces sung before or after psalms.
- Hymns: Songs of praise.
- Tonos humanos: Spanish secular songs.
- Villancicos: A popular type of Spanish song, often for Christmas.
He created more than 700 compositions! Sadly, almost all of them were lost in the terrible 1755 Lisbon earthquake. This earthquake destroyed many important buildings and documents. Díaz Bessón also wrote books about music theory, explaining how music works.
Recordings
Even though most of his music was lost, some pieces have survived and can still be heard today!
- Sanctus and Benedictus, for Palm Sunday. Found on the album "Music for Holy Week at the Chapel of the Dukes of Braganza" by A Capella Portuguesa.
- Lauda Jerusalem (for brass ensemble). Found on the album "Music Of Gabrieli" by Empire Brass.
See also
In Spanish: Gabriel Díaz Bessón para niños
