The Capela Real was the royal chapel and musical establishment of the

kings of Portugal This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portugal, Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Thro ...

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

. The capela played an important role in the development of the music history of Portugal from its foundation by Dom Dinis in 1299.

Singing in the chapel

Dom Duarte (1391–1438), as

Edward, King of Portugal Edward ( ; 31 October 1391 – 9 September 1438), also called Edward the Philosopher King (''Duarte o Rei-Filósofo'') or the Eloquent (''o Eloquente''), was the King of Portugal from 1433 until his death. He was born in Viseu, the son of John I o ...

, elaborated a Regimen (Ordenaçam) of the Chapel, which indicates that the standard practice was three-voice singing. His son, Afonso V (1432–1481), sent the mestre de capela Álvaro Afonso, to the court of

Henry VI of England Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and 1470 to 1471, and English claims to the French throne, disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V of England, Henry V, he succeeded ...

(1421–1471) in order to get a copy of the statutes, regimen and liturgy practiced in the English

Chapel Royal A chapel royal is an establishment in the British and Canadian royal households serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the royal family. Historically, the chapel royal was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarc ...

. The detailed description written by William Say is kept at

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Mestres de capela

Later composers serving the capela included

Domenico Scarlatti Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti (26 October 1685 – 23 July 1757) was an Italian composer. He is classified primarily as a Baroque music, Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical peri ...

who from 1719 until his death served as mestre de capela where his responsibilities included teaching the Infanta Maria Barbara and the king's younger brother, Don Antonio. Dennis Shrock ''Choral Repertoire'' 2009 - Page 221 "Domenico Scarlatti...and from 1719 until his death he served as mestre de capela at the Royal Chapel in Lisbon, Portugal, where his responsibilities consisted of teaching the Infanta Maria Barbara and the king's younger brother, Don Antonio."

References

{{reflist 1299 establishments in Europe 13th-century establishments in Portugal Culture in Lisbon History of Lisbon Portuguese music history