Tiento de Falsas de 2o Tono

Juan Bautista José Cabanilles (also Juan Bautista Josep, Valencian: Joan) (1644 i– 1712 ) 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.

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.

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. 

A Tiento de Falsas uses a technique of letting dissonants (for that time!) dissolve into acceptable harmonies. Most organ composers in Spain wrote them.

It is not always easy listening music, and that goes for me too, who has played hundreds of Spanish pieces since joining the concert hall. A lap in time of more than 500 years is a lot.

But the music is intruiging and worth playing and listening. Surprising also.