Re-examining Pedro Fernández de Castilleja Again: Was he a more Important Contemporary of Peñalosa than we Assumed?

Abstract

In recent years, much new information about the biography of Pedro Fernández de Castilleja has been discovered as well as references to additional compositions, seemingly now lost, that were once in the collection of the Cathedral of Seville. With this new data brought to light by Ruiz Jiménez and others, Fernández can be placed in an earlier milieu than previously thought during which he would have likely interacted with Alba and Peñalosa and worked alongside Escobar. This knowledge gives us the opportunity to understand Fernández’s works as comparable to those of Alba in the array of styles and techniques that are included. Such a repositioning to an earlier time, since Fernández can now be documented in Seville in the 1490s, means that certain seemingly old-fashioned works were probably written much earlier than thought. Fernández’s use of both standard imitative points as well as more variable kinds of imitative and pseudo-imitative textures remains a very intriguing aspect of this man’s uniquely long career that would encompass much of the known activity of Peñalosa and extended into the era of Victoria’s prominence. A number of other issues are examined including Fernández’s relationship to the growing awareness of Franco-Flemish music during his time as well as his reputation as a teacher.  The number of works and genres cited in various inventories in Seville means that Fernández was a much more prolific composer, which may in part explain the respect he was given by Cathedral leaders.