Repertoire

Sebastián Durón was one of the first to compose zarzuelas—the new born Spanish form of opera. Born in Brihuega in 1660, Durón ended his days in southern France, exiled in 1706 because he sided against Philip V in the War of the Spanish Succession. In between, he pursued a brilliant career as virtuoso organist in several cathedrals, and as prolific composer in both styles. Most of his masses , motets, hymns and psalms were polychoral, for 8 or more voices, some calling for orchestral accompaniment. In the second style he produced villancicos, songs and tonadas for one to five voices, and zarzuelas. He wrote for violin before it was universally admired, and adventured into italianate forms such as the cantata, replete with recitative and da capo aria, and for his pains was savaged by a contemporary critic for &ldquo ;corrupting Spanish music with foreign admixtures.” But he was widely admired in his own time, and his works traveled to all parts of the Spanish-speaking World. The present work comes from the Sanchez Garza collection in Mexico.