Biography
Throughout Spain, Portugal, and Mexico, Alonso Lobo earned recognition as the preeminent Spanish composer of the Baroque period. Church settings formed the core of his output, encompassing masses and motets scored for four to twelve voices. Although he became the first Spanish musician to parody a Palestrina model, Lobo resisted Victorio’s prevailing fashion for polychoral textures, yet he produced numerous pieces that called for two or more choirs. His professional path opened as a choirboy at Seville Cathedral, after which he pursued studies at the University of Osuna. In 1591 he supported chapel master Guerrero at Seville; two years later he assumed the same post at Toledo Cathedral. By 1604 Seville had summoned him back to direct its chapel, a role he appears to have retained until his death.