Pedro Bermúdez (1558–1605) was a Spanish

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and

chapel master (, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...

, who has been recognised as one of the most outstanding polyphonists in the New World, and who was active in

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

Antequera Antequera () is a city and municipality in the Comarca de Antequera, province of Málaga, part of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" (''el corazón de Andalucía'') because of its central locat ...

Cusco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the list of cities in Peru, seventh m ...

, Santiago de

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

(present-day

Antigua Guatemala Antigua Guatemala (), commonly known as Antigua or La Antigua, is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala. The city was the capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1543 through 1773, with much of its Baroque-influenced architec ...

), and

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Life

Pedro Bermúdez was born 1558 in Granada, Spain. From an early age he was a choirboy in the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

of his home town, where he was taught by Santos de Aliseda. He later was a pupil of composition of Rodrigo de Ceballos (1530–81) at the Royal Chapel of Granada. In 1584, Bermúdez won the position of chapel master in Antequera, where he experienced continued strain and pressure from the church dignitaries, as he showed little inclination to teach the choirboys. After two years in that position he was dismissed following a fight with one of the choir singers. Returning to Granada, he became a singer in the Royal Chapel. In 1595 he was invited by Antonio de la Raya, newly appointed

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, to follow him to the New World and become the chapel master at the cathedral of that ancient

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city, now under Spanish occupation. He commenced his activities in Cusco in September 1597. After only seven weeks, however, he took to the sea again, boarding a ship that sailed to

. In 1598 he was at the cathedral of Santiago de Guatemala, present-day

, where he composed most of his music. In 1603 he left Guatemala, invited by the chapter of the cathedral of

, in New Spain, to become chapel master there. However, soon after his arrival his health declined, and he died towards the end of 1605 at the age of 47.

Works

All of the works of Pedro Bermúdez are sacred compositions on

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texts of the

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liturgy, for 4 to 8 voice unaccompanied chorus. With only one exception, the entirety of his musical output is extant in Guatemala City. Two of his

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

es have survived: the ''Misa de Bomba'', a parody Mass based on Mateo Flecha's (c. 1481-c.1553) choral composition ''Ensalada "La bomba",'' and the ''Misa de feria'', to be sung during penitential times. The Guatemalan choir books also preserve a collection of

hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

for

vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern), Lutheranism, Lutheran, and Anglican ...

and

compline Compline ( ), also known as Complin, Night Prayer, or the Prayers at the End of the Day, is the final prayer service (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours, which are prayed at fixed prayer times. The English wo ...

of different liturgical occasions, the

psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

Miserere mei, 2

lamentation A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about something ...

s, and 3

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for Holy Week. The works of Pedro Bermúdez reveal an impressive and imaginative command of 16th century counterpoint. They also reflect the high quality of cathedral music in the New World, which was at the same level with liturgical music in Spanish and other European cathedrals.

References

* *

Dieter Lehnhoff Dieter Lehnhoff Temme (born 27 May 1955) is a German-Guatemalan composer, conductor, and musicologist. Life Dieter Lehnhoff Temme was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala to German settlers in 1955. He has been a pupil of Klaus Ager, Gerhard Wimberg ...

. ''Las Misas de Pedro Bermúdez''. Guatemala City: Universidad Rafael Landívar, Instituto de Musicología, 2001. *

Robert Stevenson Robert Stevenson may refer to: * Robert Stevenson (actor and politician) (1915–1975), American actor and politician * Robert Stevenson (civil engineer) (1772–1850), Scottish lighthouse engineer * Robert Stevenson (director) (1905–1986), Engl ...

. "Guatemala Cathedral to 1803", ''Inter-American Music Review'' II/2 (Spring-Summer 1980):8, 34. * Robert Snow. "Bermúdez, Pedro", ''Diccionario de la Música Española e Hispanoamericana'', 10 vols., ed. Emilio Casares Rodicio. Madrid: Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, 1999, 2/394. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bermudez, Pedro 1558 births 1605 deaths Guatemalan composers Male composers Renaissance composers Male classical composers