Early Spanish organ music: Magnificat & Tiento

Another fine pair of early Spanish organ pieces, this time by Antonio de Cabezón (30 March 1510 – 26 March 1566).

Antonio de Cabezón was a Spanish Renaissance composer and organist. Blind from childhood, he quickly rose to prominence as a performer and was eventually employed by the royal family. He was among the most important composers of his time and worked with them (Luis de Narváez, Tomás de Santa María, but also William Byrd, Thomas Tallis) and the first major Iberian keyboard composer.

The first piece is the Magnificat Septimi Toni and consists of two small parts (resp. 4/4 and 3/2), starting with Copula maior 8' + Salicinale 8', followed by the 3/2 part with + Principale 8'.

The second piece is the Tiento De Segundo Tono (LXII, Obras de música, 1578).
It starts (at 1:47) with the same registration as the Magnificat, finally growing to a plenum registration (resp. + Octava principale 4', Superoctava 2', Quinta maior 2 2/3', Mixtura 3x 1', Cimbale 2x 1/2').

Played on the Smecno instrument (ca. 1587).

Enjoy!

Marco