# Tomás Luis de Victoria



## Romantic Geek

I can't believe this guy doesn't have one of these yet! Easily, he's my favorite Renaissance composer. Just absolutely beautiful music. I was lucky enough to take a seminar on his music this past spring and three of us analyzed the entire set of Lamentations of Jeremiah. Just incredible works.

Strangely, Victoria was just a religious composer. He wrote no secular music.

Here's my favorite recording of probably my favorite work by Victoria:






Enjoy!


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## Taggart

Tomás Luis de Victoria (b Avila, 1548; d Madrid, 20 Aug 1611). Spanish composer and organist partly active in Italy. He was not only the greatest Spanish Renaissance composer but also one of the greatest composers of church music of his day in Europe, who has been admired above all for the intensity of some of his motets and of his Offices for the Dead and for Holy Week. He was a choirboy at Ávila Cathedral, and when his voice broke was sent (c.1565) to the Jesuit Collegio Germanico in Rome as a convittore (non-German paying student). During this period he may have made contact with Palestrina, who was maestro di cappella at the Seminario Romano nearby. Victoria's Roman years were prolific ones for the publication of his music. In 1572 he published his first volume, a collection of motets including many of his best-known works. Between 1576 and 1585 there appeared seven more printed collections of his sacred music.

In 1600 a magnificent collection of his masses, Magnificat settings, motets, and psalms was issued in Madrid. Devoted mainly to polychoral works, it includes three pieces which were among his most popular masses: the Missa pro victoria, the Missa 'Ave regina coelorum' and Missa 'Alma Redemptoris mater' (based on his own antiphons). An organist's part was provided, allowing some of the vocal parts to be accompanied or replaced by organ. Victoria was one of the finest European composers of the time; his total output is, however, much smaller than those of, for example, Palestrina and Lassus.

Wiki article.

Web site


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## Taggart

There's an old list of recommendations here.

We like this:






And this by the sixteen:


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## Taggart

Couple of pieces from the Officium defunctorum (1605), writtenfor the exequies of the dowager empress in 1603, and including his famous six-voice music for the Requiem Mass.

Taedet animam meam






The motet Versa est in luctum


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## Art Rock

When I made a selection of my 121 favourite composers for my blog, Victoria was the only one from the renaissance period to make the cut.


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## Winterreisender

If anyone is interested, I can recommend an interesting documentary from the BBC as a good way to learn about Victoria the man.


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## hreichgott

I remember singing de Victoria's O magnum mysterium with a choir when I was in my teens. It was the first piece of music in a language I didn't speak in which I felt totally connected to the words. The music itself is so poetic!


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## Blake

These Renaissance composers don't get enough recognition.


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## Wood

I've been playing his Victory Mass several times over the last few days. It is an unusually exuberant piece for the time.


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## Blake

Art Rock said:


> When I made a selection of my 121 favourite composers for my blog, Victoria was the only one from the renaissance period to make the cut.


Well, then I would suppose you don't care for Renaissance music too much, eh. :tiphat:


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## EdwardBast

Vesuvius said:


> Well, then I would suppose you don't care for Renaissance music too much, eh. :tiphat:


Yes! Missing the big ones: Josquin, Lassus, Tallis.


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## EdwardBast

Romantic Geek said:


> I can't believe this guy doesn't have one of these yet! Easily, he's my favorite Renaissance composer. Just absolutely beautiful music. I was lucky enough to take a seminar on his music this past spring and three of us analyzed the entire set of Lamentations of Jeremiah. Just incredible works.


Did you guys happen to look at Thomas Tallis's setting of the Lamentations of Jeremiah for comparison? Also a masterpiece.


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## Art Rock

Vesuvius said:


> Well, then I would suppose you don't care for Renaissance music too much, eh. :tiphat:


Correct. Lassus, Palestrina, Talles, Josquin, Monteverdi - I can easily do without them. The style simply does not appeal to me. Except Victoria. Same with baroque, you can remove Handel, Corelli, Telemann from my CD collection and I'm fine, but do not touch my Bach!


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## Blake

Art Rock said:


> Correct. Lassus, Palestrina, Talles, Josquin, Monteverdi - I can easily do without them. The style simply does not appeal to me. Except Victoria. Same with baroque, you can remove Handel, Corelli, Telemann from my CD collection and I'm fine, but do not touch my Bach!


I hear you. At least you landed on a great one. I don't want to do without any of them, but I'm particularly fond of Josquin.


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## Blake

Has anyone acquired the box-set by the Ensemble Plus Ultra under Michael Noone? I'm on the fence about grabbing this...

http://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Sacred-Works-Michael-Noone/dp/B0050F6JQE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387337148&sr=8-1&keywords=victoria+sacred+works


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## Blake

Sounds good. I'm going for it.


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## Taggart

Victoria - Requiem - recommended by Phil loves Classical and seconded by Ingélou


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## juliante

I just discovered Victoria's 'Responsories', the Tenebrae / Nigel Short recording. Glorious music.


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## carteianus

The Requiem for the Empress Maria is one of my favourite 16th century works. I go back to it often when particulalry anxious or tired. I have a personal connection to Victoria´s music, as his Ave Maria was performed in my wedding. That wonderful music was one of the highlights of one of the best days of my life.


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