Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla

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Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla (c. 1590 - 1664) was a composer of New Spain (a viceroyalty of Spain that included modern day Mexico, Guatemala, the Philippines and other parts of Central America and the Caribbean). He was born in Málaga, Spain but moved to Puebla, Mexico, in 1620 to compose music in the new world. Padilla is one of the more important composers represented in the manuscripts at Puebla, Mexico and the Hackenberry collection in Chicago, Illinois. He worked at Puebla de Los Angeles, Mexico, which in Baroque times was a bigger religious center than Mexico City itself. He was appointed maestro de capilla of Puebla Cathedral in 1628.

The majority of his vast output (over 700 pieces survive) include sacred motets, often for double choir, in the Renaissance style or stile antico as well as sacred villancicos. It often includes accompaniments for organ or various stringed instruments.

His Missa Ego Flos Campi, along with a number of secular works have been recorded by The Harp Consort, conducted by Andrew Lawrence-King, on the disc Missa Mexicana [2007]

[edit] Bibliography

Padilla's music, despite its high quality, is rather difficult to get hold of:

Mapa Mundi, publish singing scores of some of this music including the fabulous double choir Deus in Adiutorium Meum Intende. Alfredston Music - can provide instrumental parts for the smaller pieces in their collection.

There are at least 2 PhD theses with Padilla's music in the appendices: S. Barwick, Sacred Vocal Polyphony in Early Colonial Mexico, (diss., Harvard Univ.,1949), includes the 2nd St. Matthew Passion; and A. Ray / A. R. Catalyne, The Double-choir Music of Juan de Padilla, (diss., Univ. of Southern California,1953).