Pedro de Escobar
Not a lot of Pedro de Escobar’s work has survived . . . several settings of the Mass, about 20 other religious works and 18 villancicos. According to Robert Stevenson, whose research of Hispanic music, both in Europe and the New World, has been of utmost value, Escobar was born in Porto, Portugal, (in fact was known also as Pedro de Porto). His most prestigious position was maestro de capilla at Seville Cathedral from 1507 to 1514, when he resigned because the Chapter seemed incapable of finding him a living wage. Gil Vicente, playwrite and poet at the Portuguese Court mentioned Escobar as a musical leader at the Court in 1521, and used Escobar’s motet, “Clamabat autem” to close his play ‘Auto da Cananeia’ in 1534. At that time Escobar was about 70 years old and died shortly after.
Clamabat autem mulier
In Lent of 1534 the Abbess of the Convent of Odivelas requested Gil Vicente, poet in the Court of John III of Portugal, to present his play, Auto da cananeia (“The Canaanite Play”) at the Convent. This is the motet that Vicente chose as the closing music of the production. The edition was derived from the Tarazona mss. held on microfilm at the Hill Monastic Library, St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota.
Pedro de Escobar "Clamabat autem mulier"