| Called "the light of Spain in music" by one 16th century theorist, Morales was the first native-born Spaniard equal in stature to any of the Franco-Flemish masters of his generation. Proudly self-aware of his Spanish heritage, the composer almost invariably appended the descriptive adjective "Hyspalensis" (or a variant) to his name. Born and educated in Seville, Morales achieved prominence in his native Spain before traveling to Rome in 1535 and joining the Papal Chapel under Pope Paul III, in the same year incidentally that Michelangelo was commissioned to paint his fresco The Last Judgment. After 10 years with that pre-eminent institution, Morales returned to Spain where he held positions at the cathedrals of Toledo and Malaga. An unusually pious man, Morales remained in the service of the church his entire professional life. His surviving output consists almost entirely of sacred music - some 20 Masses, over 80 motets and a celebrated cycle of Magnificat settings. |
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