Cathedral city in north-west Spain. Santiago Cathedral was one of the most important shrines for pilgrimage during the Middle Ages. Built over the grave of St James, patron saint of Spain, the present structure was begun in 1078 and represents classic Spanish romanesque architecture. The pilgrimages left their mark on the music of the cathedral and, according to the 12th-century Calixtinus manuscript (E-SC; see Sources, MS, §IV),
it is a source of wonder and gladness to see the choirs of pilgrims in perpetual vigil by the venerable altar of Santiago: Teutons in one place, Franks in another, Italians in another. … Some play the cittern, others lyres, kettledrums, flutes, flageolets, trumpets, harps, violins, British or Welsh crwths, some singing with citterns, others accompanied of divers instruments.
It is the only surviving document of medieval music there; further documentation of musical life appears only in the 16th century.
The first maestro de capilla, Lorenzo Durán, was appointed in 1526 and the musical chapel, which employed professional singers and boy choristers, dates from that time; records that document the singing of Flemish polyphony are older, going back to the mid-15th century. Four ministriles (reed players) became permanent members of the chapel consort from 1539. The most important maestros de capilla in the 16th century were Alonso Ordóñez, Francisco Logroño and Andrés de Villalar.
The number of singers and ministriles greatly increased during the 17th century when polychoral music became predominant. This development culminated in the works of José de Vaquedano who frequently wrote for 12 voices (three choruses) and sometimes for 16 or more voices. Other important maestros de capilla in the 17th century were Jerónimo Vicente, Diego Pontac and Diego Verdugo.
During the 18th century polychoral styles and counterpoint gave way to the Italian style; this is seen most clearly in the works of Buono Chiodi, an Italian who was formerly maestro di cappella at Bergamo and who came to Santiago Cathedral in 1769. Other notable 18th-century maestros de capilla were Antonio de Yanguas, Diego de las Muelas, Pedro Rodrigo and Pedro Cifuentes. Even before Chiodi’s time some of the best cathedral singers in Santiago were Italian. Two splendid 18th-century organs still stand, though much restored, on either side of the choir. Chiodi’s successor was Melchor López Jiménez, whose 38 years as maestro de capilla saw a steady evolution towards Classicism, and whose works are models of correctness and religious inspiration. During his tenure the cathedral orchestra reached full size, while the vocal complement remained a double chorus (eight voices) with frequent recourse to solos, duos etc.
The 19th-century maestros de capilla were Ramón Palacio, Juan Trallero, José Alfonso and Santiago Tafall Abad, all of them composers, as were some of the organists of this period. After the government’s confiscation of church property in the mid-19th century, musical activity in the cathedral began to decline, but a small chorus and orchestra were kept until the mid-20th century, when the orchestra was reorganized. 20th-century maestros de capilla have included Manuel Soler, Mariano Pérez Gutiérrez and Nemesio García Carril. The chirimías (Spanish shawms) still accompany the solemn processions, and Santiago is the only place where these ancient precursors of the oboe can be heard.
Opera was brought to Santiago in the second half of the 18th century by the Italian singer and impresario Antonio Settaro; during the 19th century opera continued to enjoy great popularity, as did the Spanish zarzuela. In the 20th century such interest decayed, but from 1990 musical life gained a new vitality thanks to the construction of a large auditorium, where the best orchestras and soloists are heard, as well as regular opera seasons.
Santiago University library contains Fernando I’s mozarabic manuscript (1055). Música en Compostela, a summer course given annually from mid-August to mid-September, was founded by Andrés Segovia and José Miguel Ruiz Morales in 1958, and offers instruction in performance and composition.
S. Tafall Abad: ‘La capilla de música de la catedral de Santiago’, Boletín de la Real Academia Gallega (La Coruña, 1931)
W.M. Whitehill, G. Prado and J. Carro García, eds.: Liber Sancti Jacobi: Codex Calixtinus (Santiago de Compostela, 1944) [facs. and edn of E-SC]
H. Anglés: ‘Die Mehrstimmigkeit des Calixtinus von Compostela und seine Rhythmik’, Festschrift Heinrich Besseler, ed. E. Klemm (Leipzig, 1961), 91–100
M.C. Díaz y Díaz: El códice calixtino de la catedral de Santiago (Santiago de Compostela, 1988)
J. López-Calo: La música en la catedral de Santiago (La Coruña, 1992–3)
M.P. Alén: La capilla de música de la catedral de Santiago de Compostela (La Coruña, 1995)
JOSÉ LÓPEZ-CALO