Antonio de Cabezón
Antonio de Cabezón was born in a small town near Burgos around 1510. Despite his blindness he was already studying organ at Palencia Cathedral at age 10, and at 16 he became Court organist to Isabella of Portugal when she married Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, in 1526. Prince Philip (II) was born in 1527 and “inherited” Cabezón when the Queen died in 1539. Cabezón remained Court Organist to Philip (II) and was with him when Philip married Queen Mary I of England at Winchester in 1554. Philip II became King of Spain when his father abdicated and retired to a monastery in 1556. The new King moved the Royal Court to Madrid and started building a new palace, L’Escorial. Cabezón died in Madrid in 1566.
Two publications contain most of the surviving works of Cabezón– the ‘Libro de cifra nueva’ (Alcala de Henares, 1557) compiled by Venegas de Henestrosa, and ‘Obras de musica para tecla . . . ‘ (Madrid, 1578) compiled by.his son.
Guardame las vacas
The vihuelist, Luis de Narváez, joined Cabezón as a member of Philip’s Royal Chapel in 1549. Narváez had already published his ‘ . . . libros de delphin’ 11 years before, which contains his ‘differencias’ on “Guardame las vacas”. It is possible that Narváez’s work influenced Cabezón in writing his sets of variations on the folk-tune. Of course, these two versions are not at all the only variations on the tune by Spanish composers.
Antonio de Cabezón "Guardame las vacas"
La dama le demanda
Antonio de Cabezón "La dama le demanda"
Tiento XVIII
Antonio de Cabezón "Tiento XVIII"
Tiento