Juan de Lienas (Shrock, Dennis. "Juan de Lienas." In Choral Repertoire. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. pg. 347 ) was a composer active in Latin America during the early to mid-17th century. He also served as a chapel master and conductor in the Catholic Church. Much of his life is still a mystery, but what is known comes from accounts in the only two manuscripts that include his compositions: El Codice del Convento del CarmenBal y Gay, Jesús, and Carlos Chávez. 1952. El códice del Convento del Carmen. México: Instituto nacional de bellas artes and the Newberry Choirbooks.Catholic Church, Tomás Luis de Victoria, Francisco Guerrero, Cristóbal de Morales, Juan de Lienas, Fabián Ximeno, Hernando Franco, Manuel de Zumaya, and Antonio Rodríguez Mata. 1600. [Mexican choir books]. Some of these comments are unflattering to the composer, insulting his appearance and personality.Russell, Craig H. 2001 "Lienas, Juan de." Grove Music Online. 20 Oct. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.16627. He is identified as a cacique (a native of noble birth), an Indian, and a married man, all of which may have kept him from higher standing within the church.Bethell, Leslie. The Cambridge History of Latin America vol. 2. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1984-2008. pg. 779 One scholar indicates that he may have been born in Spain.Shrock, Dennis. "Juan de Lienas." In Choral Repertoire. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. pg. 347 Most scholars place him in Mexico in the employ of the convent connected to the cathedral of Mexico City, but one asserts that he also worked in Havana.Tiemstra, Suzanne S. The Choral Music of Latin America: A Guide to Compositions and Research. New York: Greenwood Press, 1992. pg. 4 His music is indicative of the early Renaissance, following the Polyphonic styles of composers such as Francisco Guerrero and Cristóbal de Morales.Buelow, George J. "Mexican Cathedral Music in the Seventeenth Century." In A History of Baroque Music. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004. pg. 397 He is often associated with Juan Hernandez, Fernando Franco, and Francisco López. The latter two also had compositions in the Carmen Codex.Stevenson, "El Codice del Convento del Carmen by Jesús Bal y Gay," pg. 49 His known compositions include: two masses (one of which is a Requiem), eleven motets, three magnificats, and two sets of lamentations.Shrock, Dennis. "Juan de Lienas." In Choral Repertoire. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. pg. 348 The two manuscripts which include his music may have at one point been connected.Schleifer, Eliyahu A. "New Light on the Mexican Choirbooks at the Newberry Library." Notes 30, no. 2 (1973): 231-41. doi:10.2307/895970. pg. 241 Both include his Salve Regina for 4 voices, Lamentation for 4 voices, and Magnificat for 5 voices. His compositions were first brought to the states by means of the Newbery Choirbooks, which are still performed today.
Musical style Lienas' compositions are very skilled, and several compositional trends can be found throughout his music. His vocal lines were quite demanding, the ranges for each part quite high, and the sonorities often in 5 parts.Stevenson, Robert. "El Codice del Convento del Carmen by Jesús Bal y Gay." Notes 14, no. 1 (1956): 49-50. doi:10.2307/891901. He is skilled at writing for double choir, sometimes placing instruments on the lower voices.Bethell, Leslie. The Cambridge History of Latin America vol. 2. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1984-2008. pg. 779 His compositions can be analyzed in terms of modern tonality, focusing less on modal music.Vallenzuela III, Eladio. "A Survey of Choral Music of Mexico During the Renaissance and Baroque Periods." MM Thesis, University of Texas at El Paso, 2010. pg. 57 This helps to bolster the ideals of fluid musical styles instead of the harsh cutoffs implied by musical periods. While his music reflects the styles of early Renaissance, his dates put him in the Baroque period, and his tonalities show that, while he composed in earlier styles, he was still moving towards more modern compositional ideals.
Selected discography Juan de Lienas, Missa. Les Chemins du Baroque 8: Messe de l'Assomption de la Vierge. Compañia Musical de las Américas dir. Josep Cabré, K617 Nicolas Gombert, Ferdinand de Lassus, Juan De Lienas; Messe de la Bataille en Nouvelle Espagne - Mexique :es:Cristina García Banegas K617 Juan de Lienas, Office de Complies, Trésors des Couvents, ensemble Vox Cantoris, dir. Jean-Christophe Candau, Psalmus
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