Tomás Luis de Victoria was born around 1548, most likely inÁvila, the main residence of his family at the time. Victoria’s birthplace has been the subject of debate, and remains unclear since his baptismal record has never been found. The town ofSanchidrián has been proposed as another possible birthplace, however it was only later that the Victorias would settle there, when Tomás’ eldest brother moved to Sanchidrián with his young family and widowed mother. In Tomás’ youth Sanchidrián was only the site of one of the family’s many rural landholdings.
The origins of the Luis de Victoria family on the paternal side can be traced only as far back as Tomás’ grandfather, Hernán Luis Dávila, who makes his first documented appearance in Avila during the opening years of the sixteenth century. It is important to note that the name Victoria comes from Hernán’s wife, Leonor de Vitoria. Following Spanish practice of the time, their children combined their surnames, in the order of their preference, or chose between them. The original spelling Vitoria (from thecity of the same name) was to be used by all members of this family with the exception of Tomás himself, who adopted the Latinized “Victoria.”
Hernán Luis Dávila was a prosperous cloth merchant who shrewdly invested his profits into building an expansive real estate portfolio throughoutÁvila province. Both his profession and property speculation, as well as the family’s increasing involvement in banking, are strongly suggestive ofconverso origins, though there is no hard evidence to support this. The Victorias lived on Calle de los Caballeros, which was then lined with wool and silk shops, across from San Juan Bautista, their parish church, and just steps away from the main market square of the city. Their house still stands, and the tombs of Tomás’ parents and grandparents are at San Juan.
Victoria was the seventh of nine children born to Francisco Luis de Vitoria and Francisca Suárez de la Concha. His mother's family were affluent wool merchants and bankers of Jewish origin, based inSegovia. Francisca's great-grandfather, Jacob Galfón, briefly took his family to Portugal following theexpulsion of the Jews, but returned to Segovia with royal authorization late in 1492, converting to Christianity and taking the name Pedro Suárez de la Concha. The Suárez de la Concha family were elevated to the aristocracy, eventually acquiring the title Marqués de Lozoya.[3][4]
Francisco, Tomás’ father, had a lucrative business as a notary in Ávila, and also derived substantial income from rents on the family landholdings and from moneylending; however, he was prone to gambling, which resulted in a decline in the family fortune. As a result of this, upon Francisco’s death his eldest son Hernán sold the family home in Ávila and moved to their estate in Sanchidrián. This was only a temporary setback, and the Victorias would soon regain their footing, becoming more involved in banking, in association with their Suárez de la Concha cousins and others based in Castile’s financial capital of the time,Medina del Campo. Significantly, during this time of financial insecurity Hernán would break with conventional practice and share his inheritance, ensuring that his siblings received educations and dowries. In Tomás’ case this made possible, along with the support of their uncle the priest Juan Luis de Vitoria, his early music training at Ávila’s cathedral school.[5][6][7]
After his father's death in 1557, his uncle, Juan Luis, became Tomás' guardian. He was a choirboy inÁvila Cathedral. Cathedral records state that his uncle, Juan Luis, presented Victoria's Liber Primus to the Church while reminding them that Victoria had been brought up in the Ávila Cathedral.[8] Because he was such an accomplished organist, many believe that he began studying the keyboard at an early age from a teacher in Ávila.[9] Victoria most likely began studying "the classics" at St. Giles's, a boys' school in Ávila. This school was praised bySt. Teresa of Avila and some highly regarded people of music.[10]
After receiving a grant fromPhilip II in 1565, Victoria went toRome and became cantor at theGerman College founded bySt. Ignatius Loyola.[11] He may have studied withPalestrina around this time, though the evidence is circumstantial; certainly he was influenced by the Italian's style. For some time, beginning in 1573, Victoria held two positions, one being at the German College and the other being at thePontifical Roman Seminary. He held the positions of chapelmaster and instructor ofplainsong. In 1571, he was hired at the German College as a teacher and began earning his first steady income.[12] After Palestrina left theSeminary, Victoria took over the position of maestro.[13] Victoria was ordained a priest in 1574 by bishopThomas Goldwell. Before this he was made adeacon, but did not serve long in that capacity as typically deacons became priests soon after.[14] In 1575, Victoria was appointed Maestro di Capella at S. Apollinare.[11] Church officials would often ask Victoria for his opinion on appointments to cathedral positions because of his fame and knowledge.[15] He was faithful to his position as convent organist even after his professional debut as an organist.[16] He did not stay inItaly, however.
In 1587 Philip II honoured Victoria's desire to return to his native Spain, naming him chaplain to his sister, theDowagerEmpress María, daughter ofCharles V, who had been living in retirement with her daughterPrincess Margarita at theMonasterio de las Descalzas de St. Clara at Madrid from 1581. In 1591, Victoria became a godfather to his brother Juan Luis's daughter, Isabel de Victoria.[17] Victoria worked for 24 years at Descalzas Reales, serving for 17 years as chaplain to the Empress until her death, and then as convent organist. Victoria was also being paid much more at the Descalzas Reales than he would have earned as a cathedral chapelmaster, receiving an annual income from absentee benefices from 1587 to 1611. When the Empress Maria died in 1603, she willed three chaplaincies in the convent, with one going to Victoria. According to Victoria, he never accepted any extra pay for being a chapelmaster, and became the organist rather than the chapelmaster.[18] Such was the esteem in which he was held that his contract allowed him frequent travel away from the convent.[citation needed] He was able to visit Rome in 1593 for two years, attending Palestrina's funeral in 1594.[citation needed] He died in 1611 in the chaplain's residence and was buried at the convent, although his tomb has yet to be identified.[citation needed]
A copy of a part for Victoria's mass,Alma Redemptoris mater
Victoria is the most significant composer of theCounter-Reformation in Spain, and one of the best-regarded composers ofsacred music in thelate Renaissance, a genre to which he devoted himself exclusively. Victoria's music reflected his personality,[19] expressing the passion of Spanish mysticism and religion.[13] Victoria was praised byPadre Martini for his melodic phrases and his joyful inventions.[20] His works have undergone a revival in the 20th century, with numerous recent recordings. Many commentators hear in his music a mystical intensity and direct emotional appeal, qualities considered by some to be lacking in the arguably more rhythmically and harmonically placid music of Palestrina. There are quite a few differences in their compositional styles, such as treatment of melody and quarter-notedissonances.[21]
Victoria was a master at overlapping and dividing choirs with multiple parts with a gradual decreasing of rhythmic distance throughout. Not only does Victoria incorporate intricate parts for the voices, but the organ is almost treated like a soloist in many of his choral pieces.[22] Victoria did not originate the development of psalm settings or antiphons for two choirs, but he continued and increased the popularity of such repertoire.[23] Victoria republished works that had appeared previously, and incorporated revisions into each reissue.[24]
Victoria published his first book of motets in 1572.[25] In 1585 he wrote hisOfficium Hebdomadae Sanctae, a collection which included 37 pieces that are part of theHoly Week celebrations in theCatholic liturgy, including the eighteen motets of theTenebrae Responsories.[26]
Two influences in Victoria's life wereGiovanni Maria Nanino andLuca Marenzio, whom Victoria admired for their work inmadrigals rather than church music.[27] It has been speculated that Victoria took lessons fromEscobedo at an early age before moving to Rome.[11]
Stylistically, his music shuns the elaboratecounterpoint of many of his contemporaries, preferring simple line andhomophonic textures, yet seeking rhythmic variety and sometimes including intense and surprising contrasts.[citation needed] His melodic writing and use ofdissonance is more free than that of Palestrina; occasionally he usesintervals which are prohibited in the strict application of 16th century counterpoint, such as ascending major sixths, or even occasional diminished fourths (for example, a melodic diminished fourth occurs in a passage representing grief in hismotetSancta Maria, succurre).[citation needed] Victoria sometimes uses dramaticword-painting, of a kind usually found only inmadrigals. Some of his sacred music uses instruments (a practice which is not uncommon in Spanish sacred music of the 16th century), and he also wrotepolychoral works for more than one spatially separated group of singers, in the style of the composers of theVenetian school who were working atSt. Mark's inVenice.[citation needed]
The following are recordings of music by Tomás Luis de Victoria. As in all of his music, the texts are inLatin and drawn from the Roman Catholic Liturgy.
Victoria,Tenebrae Responsories. Pro Cantione Antiqua: Deutsche Harmonia Mundi CD GD77056
Victoria,Et Jesum. Motets, antífonas y partes de miss. Carlos Mena, Juan Carlos Rivera: CD Harmonia Mundi Iberica 987042
Victoria,Officium Defunctorum. Musica Ficta, Raúl Mallavibarrena: Enchiriadis CD EN 2006
Victoria,Sacred Works. Ensemble Plus Ultra: DGG Archiv CD DDD 0289 477 9747 0 AM 10
Kriewald, James Arthur (1968).The Contrapuntal and Harmonic Style of Tomás Luis de Victoria (PhD).University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Trend, John Brande (1965) [1926].The Music of Spanish History. New York: Kraus Reprint Corporation.
Journal and encyclopedia articles
O'Regan, Noel (May 1994). "Victoria, Soto and the Spanish Archconfraternity of the Resurrection in Rome".Early Music.22 (2):279–295.doi:10.1093/earlyj/XXII.2.279.
G. Edward Bruner, DMA: "Editions and Analysis of Five Missa Beata Virgine Maria by the Spanish Composers: Morales, Guerreo, Victoria, Vivanco, and Esquivel." DMA diss., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1980.[facsimile: University Microfilms International, Ann Arbor, MI]
Olmos, Ángel Manuel: "El testamento y muerte de Tomás Luis de Victoria. Nuevos familiares del músico y posible razón para su vuelta a España", Revista de Musicología, vol. XXXV, nº1 (2012), pp. 53–60
Olmos, Ángel Manuel: "Las obras de Tomás Luis de Victoria en la tablatura para órgano de Pelplin (Polonia), Biblioteka Seminarium, 304–8, 308a (1620–1630)", en Morales, Luisa (Ed.): Cinco Siglos de Música de Tecla Española,ISBN978-84-611-8235-0 (Leal, 2007), pp. 87–124
Olmos, Ángel Manuel: "Tomás Luis de Victoria et le monastère des 'Descalzas' à Madrid : réfutation d'un mythe", Le Jardin de Musique, I/2, (2004) pp. 121–128
Olmos, Ángel Manuel: "Aportaciones a la temprana historia musical de la capilla de las Descalzas Reales (1587–1608)", Revista de Musicología, vol. XXVI, nº 2 2003, pp. 439–489
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