Ignacio de Jerusalem facts for kids

Ignacio de Jerusalem was a famous composer from a long time ago. He wrote Baroque music in a place called New Spain, which is now Mexico.

Ignacio de Jerusalem was born Ignazio Gerusalemme on June 3, 1707, in Lecce, Italy. His father was also a musician. Ignacio was one of eleven children. He learned to play the violin very well in Italy. In 1732, he moved to Cádiz, a port city in Spain. He became known as a very skilled violinist. He often played at the Coliseo de Cádiz, which was the main theater in the city. People called him the "musical marvel" because of his amazing musical talents.

Moving to Mexico

In 1742, a man named Josef Cárdenas came to Cádiz. He was from Mexico City and worked for a hospital there. He wanted to find talented musicians and dancers for the Coliseo de México, a theater in Mexico City. This theater helped raise money for the hospital. Cárdenas believed that better performers would bring more people to the theater, which meant more money for the hospital. He convinced many artists, including Jerusalem, to come back to Mexico City with him.

Becoming a Chapel Master

Soon after arriving in Mexico City, Jerusalem started leading the music at the Coliseo de México. By 1746, he was also writing music for the Catedral de México. He also taught at a school called the Colegio de Infantes.

In 1749, the cathedral needed a new music director, called a chapel master. The old one wasn't doing a great job. Jerusalem tried out for the job. The people deciding were used to older styles of music. They found Jerusalem's music very new and different. But in the end, they chose him! On November 3, 1750, he became the new chapel master. He kept this important job for the rest of his life.

Achievements and Legacy

The next ten years were busy for Jerusalem. He made many important changes to music at the cathedral:

• He helped make musical notation (the way music is written down) more modern.
• He improved the words used in sacred music.
• He made the cathedral's orchestra much bigger, more than doubling its size!
• He wrote a lot of music.

When Ignacio de Jerusalem passed away on December 15, 1769, other musicians and people in Mexico City respected him greatly. He helped bring a new, more Italian-style of music to Mexico. His music became very popular. It was played all over New Spain (which is now Mexico) and even in Guatemala. His music also reached as far north as the California missions.

See also

In Spanish: Ignacio de Jerusalem y Stella para niños