Mateo Flecha

Biography

Mateo Flecha (Catalan: Mateu Fletxa; 1481–1553) was a Spanish composer born in Kingdom of Aragon, in the region of Prades. He is sometimes known as "El Viejo" (the elder) to distinguish him from his nephew, Mateo Flecha "El Joven" (the younger), also a composer of madrigals. "El Viejo" is best known for his ensaladas, published in Prague in 1581 by the same nephew.

Life and career

Mateo Flecha directed the music at the cathedral of Lleida (September 1523 – October 1525). From there he moved to Guadalajara, in the service for six years of the Duke, Diego Hurtado de Mendoza. From there he went to Valencia where he assumed direction of the chapel choir of the Duke of Calabria. While thus employed, three of his works were included in songbooks associated with that chapel, including the Cancionero de Uppsala. In 1537 Flecha moved to Sigüenza where he served as maestro di cappella for two years. From 1544 to 1548 he lived in the castle at Arévalo as teacher of the Infantas Maria and Joanna, daughters of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500-1558). Toward the end of his life Mateo Flecha became a monk of the Cistercian Order, living in the Monastery at Poblet, where he died in 1553.
Flecha's ensaladas influenced the madrigals of Joan Brudieu.

List of works

Although he surely wrote more than the following, the following compositions are known to be the work of Mateo Flecha El Viejo:
Ensaladas for 4 voices:

El fuego
El jubilate
La bomba
La caça
La guerra
La justa
La negrina
La viuda
Ensaladas for 5 voices:

Las cañas
Los chistes
El cantate o dança despadas (lost)
Villancicos for 3 voices:

Encúbrase el mal que siento
O triste de mí
Si sentís lo que yo siento
Vella de vós som amorós (attributed to Flecha)

Villancicos for 4 voices:

Mal haya quien a vos casó
Que farem del pobre Joan
Teresica hermana
Tiempo bueno
Riu Chiu
Villancicos for 5 voices:

Si amores me han de matar
Sacred works in Latin:

Miserere (4 voices)
Doleo super te (lost)