Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla

Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla (ca. 1590 – 1664) was a Spanish-Mexican composer of the Renaissance period.

Life and career

He was born in Málaga, Spain but moved to Puebla, Mexico, in 1620 to compose music in the New World. At the time New Spain was a viceroyalty of Spain that included modern day Mexico, Guatemala, the Philippines and other parts of Central America and the Caribbean. 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.

He is to be distinguished from a younger Juan de Padilla, who was maestro de capilla at Zamora, Spain (1661-1663), and Toledo (1663-1673).

Works

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.

Recordings

• Mirabilia testimonium. Lamentation for Maundy Thursday. Salve Regina on Masterpieces of Mexican Polyphony Westminster Cathedral Choir dir. James O'Donnell. Hyperion CDA66330 1989
• Lamentation for Maundy Thursday on Lamentations of Jeremiah by The Tallis Scholars, dir. Peter Phillips. Gimell CDGIM 043 2010
• 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 [2003].

Benjamín Juárez Echenique has recorded a Mass and two sets of Christmas villancicos for Urtext digital classics:

• Padilla; Maitines de Natividad 1652 (Mexican Baroque, Vol. 7) Angelicum de Puebla, dir. Echenique Urtext UMA2011 46'07"
• Padilla; Maitines de Natividad 1653 (Baroque Mexico, Vol. 1) Angelicum de Puebla, dir. Echenique Urtext UMA2004
• Padilla; Missa Ego flos campi (excerpts) 1653 (Baroque Mexico, Vol. 3) Angelicum de Puebla, dir. Echenique Urtext UMA2005 1996
• Padilla; "Streams of Tears". Missa Ave Regina and motets. The Sixteen, Harry Christophers COR16059