Mateo Romero (ca. 1575 – 1647) was a Belgian-born Spanish composer of
Baroque music
Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Classical period after a short transiti ...
and master of the
royal chapel.
Biography
Romero was born as Mathieu Rosmarin in
Liège
Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège.
The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...
,
Belgium, and, following the early death of his father was, like many children from the then-Spanish Netherlands, recruited as a child to serve as a choir boy at the Madrid court. Between 1586 and 1593 he was taught in Spain by his countrymen
George de la Hèle and
Philippe Rogier. He took the name Romero in 1594. In 1598 he was ''
maestro de capilla
(, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...
'' at the Spanish court of
Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
and
Philip III of Spain. He remained in this position till 1634. In 1609 he was ordained a priest and was private chaplain to Philipp III. He was also secretary of the
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...
.
After the death of Philip, he was also chaplain to
King John IV of Portugal.
Romero was one of the most appreciated composers of his time; he was known as "El Maestro Capitan". His service extended over the threshold of two musical eras, the
Renaissance and
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
. Although he was not part of the
polyphonic
Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, h ...
school of the great
Franco-Flemish school, he played an important role in the introduction of Italian ''stile moderno'' in Spain.
Works
Most of his works, which were stored in the Royal Library in Lisbon, were destroyed in the
Lisbon earthquake
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, impacted Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula, and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. In combination with ...
of 1755.
[Ann Livermore A short history of Spanish music 1972 p107]
Surviving works include:
Masses:
* Missa Bonae voluntatis 9 voices and B.c. (also 5 voice version)
* Missa Qui Habitat (8 voices and B.c.) - based on his own Psalm.
* Missa Un jour l'amant (8 voices and B.c.) - parody mass of chanson of
Lassus.
* Missa Dolce fiamella (5 voices and B.c.)
* Missa Batalla (4 voices and B.c.)
* Missa de Requiem de dos Baxos (8 voices and B.c.) Missa "Pro Defunctis"
* Missa Veu que de vostre amour a 8
* Missa Dolce fiamella mia a 5 - on madrigal by
Giovanni Maria Nanino.
* Missa on the Litany, 5vv (on his own 8 voice Litany
* Missa Batalla a 4 - on
Clement Janequin
Clement or Clément may refer to:
People
* Clement (name), a given name and surname
* Saint Clement (disambiguation)#People
Places
* Clément, French Guiana, a town
* Clement, Missouri, U.S.
* Clement Township, Michigan, U.S.
Other uses
* ...
's ''La Bataille''
* Missa Sabbato Sancto a 4
Magnificats, Psalms and Motets:
* 3 Magnificat
* 3 Dixit Dominus
* Domine, quando veneris
* Libera me, Domine
* Convertere Domine
* Domine, ne in furore tuo
Secular works:
* 9
villancicos
* 3 canciones a 3
* 5 letrillas a 3
* 2 novenas a 2
* 2 folías
* 15 romances a 3 to texts by
Lope de Vega
Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio ( , ; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Age of Baroque literature. His reputation in the world of Spanish literature ...
,
Francisco de Quevedo and others.
* 1
seguidilla
* 11 songs (treble voice surviving only) in Cancionero de Onteniente, 1645.
Discography
* "Romero - Music At The Spanish Court" Currende, dir.
Erik Van Nevel, 1996 (Cypres 3606)
* "Missa pro defunctis - Requiem para Cervantes" Ensemble Schola Antiqua, La Grande Chapelle, dir. Ángel Recasens (Communidad)
* "Office Pour l'Ordre de la Toison d'Or" Choeur de Chambre de Namur, dir. Jean Tubéry. 2003 (Ricercar)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romero, Matheo
Spanish Baroque composers
1570s births
1647 deaths
Belgian male classical composers
Spanish male classical composers
Musicians from Liège
17th-century classical composers
17th-century male musicians