Juan Hidalgo

Around the year 1631 Hidalgo was a player of the harp and harpsichord in the royal chapel in Madrid after receiving musical instruction from, no doubt, members of his family. He kept the position in the royal chapel for the rest of his life, did not leave Madrid, and was honored as a familiar after the Inquisition investigated him. Several famous musicians were in the court at Madrid (Galan, del Vado, Marin) but none were as favored as Hidalgo. The majority of Hidalgo's compositions were secular forms of opera or villancicos but he also composed masses and motets (very few). He would rarely write for more than four voices and composed numerous duets and quartets. From 1650 on, his compositions were very much in the vein of the Italian operatic style particularly regarding his use of recitative, aria and arioso. This was his primary contribution to Spanish music: the popularization of the Italian opera styles within the court of Spain. Two of his operas were "La purpura de la rosa," and "Los celos hacen estrellas." The music for the former has been lost but the latter was composed for the Queen mother's birthday and is the earliest zarzuela that has survived with most of its music. ~ Keith Johnson