Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco
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Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco Sánchez (December 23, 1644 in Villarrobledo – April 23, 1728) was a Spanish composer, musician and organist based in Peru, associated with the American Baroque.
[edit] Life
In 1658, while still in Spain, he entered into the service of the house of Conde Lemos, who later were designated viceroy of Peru. In 1667, he traveled to Lima along with the new viceroy, and in 1676 he was appointed maestro di capella at the Cathedral of Lima, replacing Juan de Araujo. Torrejón was deeply religious, and adhered unconditionally to the ethical and legal framework of his time, as well as the precepts of the Catholic church. Married twice, he had a total of six children, five of whom entered religious orders.
Torrejón's works are some of the most important to the Spanish baroque movement in the American colonies. Fifteen of his original manuscripts are preserved in the historical archives of the Cathedral of Guatemala. He is the author of the first known opera written in America, La Púrpura de la Rosa (1701). His rorro (lullaby) was still sung in Cuzco many years after his death.
[edit] La Púrpura de la Rosa
The Viceroy of Peru, Melchor Antonio Portocarrero de la Vega, instructed Torrejón y Velasco to compose a piece of dramatic music for the occasion of the 18th anniversary of King Philip V.
The work was premiered on December 9, 1701 in the Palace of the Viceroy, Lima, and recreates episodes of the love stories of classical mythology, with a libretto based on the texts of Calderón de la Barca. The opera is preceded by an allegory to Philip V, which emphasizes his goodness and justice; the muses Calliope, Terpsichore and Urania join in a chorus that sings to the glory of Spain.
The drama recounts the love between Venus and Adonis, who are the sources of Mars's jealousy and desire for revenge; Mars causes Adonis to be mortally wounded by a wild boar. When Adonis falls upon some white roses, his blood tints them purple, but Jupiter, moved by the misfortunes of the lovers, elevates them together to Mount Olympus, Adonis in the form of a flower and Venus as the nocturnal light.
The music of Torrejón y Velasco conserves much of the character and the idiosyncracies contained in the comedies of Calderón what were already set previously by Juan Hidalgo, composer and master of music at the court of Madrid, who was the author of the first version of La Púrpura de la Rosa. This work was possibly a source of inspiration for Torrejón in the composition of his own version. The work also blends Spanish and Latin American musical influences, incorporating Latin American melodies and rhythms into the overall European dramatic and harmonic structure.
