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Biography
Enríquez de Valderrábano (c. 1500-after 1557) was a Spanish vihuelist and composer. There is little biographical data on this composer of early music, but there is some from the prologue to his book of music, Libro de música de vihuela intitulado Silva de Sirenas, published in Valladolid, Spain in 1547. It reveals that Valderrábano worked for the Duke of Béjar—Francisco de Zúñiga—but does not contain the details of his musical education or career.
Valderrábano's book of music has seven parts containing fugas, contrapuntos, sonetos, bajas, vacas, discantes, pavanas, proverbios, canciones, romances, and villancicos—ordered by level of difficulty. It includes pieces for two vihuelas, for vihuela and another instrument, and for vihuela and voice.
Valderrábano's book is considered an important source of knowledge on the vihuela music of the Spanish Renaissance of the sixteenth century and European instrumental music in general, as it includes transcriptions of pieces by other significant composers of the time, including Cristobal de Morales, Josquin des Prez, Nicolas Gombert, Philippe Verdelot, Jorge Báez de Sepúlveda, Adrian Willaert, Vincenzo Ruffo, Diego Ortiz, Juan Vásquez, and Jean Mouton.