Mateo Flecha facts for kids

Mateo Flecha (born in 1481, died in 1553) was a famous composer from a region called Prades in what is now Spain. He is sometimes called "El Viejo," which means "the elder." This helps tell him apart from his nephew, Mateo Flecha "El Joven" (the younger), who was also a composer. Mateo Flecha "El Viejo" is best known for his special musical pieces called ensaladas. These were published later in 1581 by his nephew.

Life and Career

Mateo Flecha started his career by leading the music at the cathedral in Lleida from 1523 to 1525. After that, he worked for six years for the Duke of Infantado in Guadalajara. He then moved to Valencia where he led the chapel choir for the Duke of Calabria. Some of his music was included in songbooks from this time, like the Cancionero de Uppsala.

In 1537, Flecha became a maestro di cappella (which means music director) in Sigüenza for two years. From 1544 to 1548, he lived in a castle in Arévalo. There, he taught music to the princesses Maria and Joanna, who were the daughters of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Later in his life, Mateo Flecha became a monk in the Cistercian Order. He lived in the Monastery at Poblet, where he passed away in 1553.

Musical Works

Mateo Flecha's music was partly published by a musician named Fuenllana. Most of his works can be found in a collection called the Cancionero of the Duke of Calabria, also known as the “Cancionero de Uppsala.”

Flecha is most famous for his "ensaladas." An ensalada (which means "salad") was a musical piece for four or five voices. These pieces were made to entertain people at the palace. Ensaladas often mixed different languages, such as Spanish, Catalan, Italian, French, and Latin. Besides ensaladas, Flecha also wrote pieces called villancicos.

In 1581, Flecha's nephew, Mateo Flecha "El Joven," published his ensaladas in Prague. There were eleven ensaladas in total, but only six are still complete today: El jubilate, La bomba, La negrina, La guerra, El fuego, and La justa. Four other ensaladas are missing some parts. One ensalada, El cantate, was lost because his nephew thought it was too long to publish.

Some Spanish musicians who played the vihuela (an old string instrument similar to a guitar) adapted Flecha's music for their instrument. These musicians included Enríquez de Valderrábano, Diego Pisador, and Miguel de Fuenllana.

Known Compositions

While Mateo Flecha "El Viejo" likely wrote more music, here are some of his known compositions:

Ensaladas for 4 voices:

• El fuego
• El jubilate
• La bomba
• La caça
• La guerra
• La justa
• La negrina
• La viuda

Ensaladas for 5 voices:

• Las cañas
• Los chistes
• El cantate o dança despadas (lost)

Villancicos for 3 voices:

• Encúbrase el mal que siento
• O triste de mí
• Si sentís lo que yo siento
• Vella de vós som amorós (some people think he wrote this one)

Villancicos for 4 voices:

• Mal haya quien a vos casó
• Que farem del pobre Joan
• Teresica hermana
• Tiempo bueno
• Riu Chiu

Villancicos for 5 voices:

• Si amores me han de matar

Sacred works in Latin:

• Miserere (4 voices)
• Doleo super te (lost)

See also

In Spanish: Mateo Flecha el Viejo para niños