Juan Bautista José Cabanilles was a Spanish organist and composer at Valencia Cathedral. He is considered by many to have been the greatest Spanish Baroque composer, and has been called the Spanish Bach.
Biography
He probably began his musical career as a singer in a choir of a local church. Later he studied to become a priest in the cathedral at Valencia, which included lessons in music. On 15 May 1665, at 20 years of age, he was named the assistant organist of the cathedral. A year later, upon the death of his predecessor, he became the principal organist. On 22 September 1668 he was ordained as a priest. He kept his position as principal organist for 45 years, but from 1703 on his health often necessitated that a substitute be found. From 1675 to 1677 he also took charge of teaching the children in the cathedral choir. No portrait or likeness of Cabanilles is known to exist; the portrait accompanying certain Facebook pages and other internet articles is of the botanist Antonio José Cavanilles.
Works
Many of Cabanilles's compositions are virtuosic and advanced for their time, but generally, he is in the Spanish tradition of keyboard music following 16th century patterns. The majority of his manuscripts are kept in the Biblioteca de Catalunya in Barcelona. Numerous compositions for organ have survived, as well as a number of works for choirs of up to 13 parts.
Selected Scores editions
1 A- Musici Organici Iohannis Cabanilles, 4 vols., edited by Hyginii Anglés, Barcelona: Biblioteca de Catalunya, 1927-1956. Cabanilles Opera Omnia. Volume 1 : Tientos in various modes. Volume 2 : Passacalles, Paseos, several Tocatas, Xácara, misc. Pieces. Volume 3 : Various genres. Volume 4 : Various genres. 1 B- The following additional 5 volumes were edited by José Clíment, Barcelona: Biblioteca de Catalunya. Volume 5 : Tientos 71-90; Versos for Magnificat, Pange lingua. Volume 6 : Tientos 91-110 and miscellaneous Versos. Volume 7 : Tientos 111-130; Versos for the Mass, for Marian festivals and for miscellaneous occasions. Volume 8 : Tientos: 131-150; Duo de 1º Tom, Sacris Solemniis. Volume 9 : Tientos: 151-168; Versos. 2- Música de Tecla Valenciana. J. Bta. Cabanilles, 4 vols., edited by Julián Sagasta Galdós, Valencia: Edicions Alfons el Magnánim, 1986-1994. 3- CEKM, vol. 48-1: Keyboard Music from the Felanitx Manuscripts, I, ed. Nelson Lee, 1999. Nearly all of the 162 pieces are by Cabanilles. 4- Juan Cabanilles: Ausgewählte Orgelwerke, edited by Miguel Bernal Ripoll and Gerhard Doderer, Kassel , Bärenreiter, 2 volumes, 2017.
