Christóbal Galán
About the composer
Cristóbal Galán was born circa 1625. He was a Spanish Baroque composer. The first record of Galán is that in 1651 he was rejected as master of the chapel in Sigüenza because he was married. In 1653 he was a singer and organist and later master of the chapel in Cagliari, Sardinia. From 1656 to 1659 he worked in Morella, Castellon and from 1660 to 1663 in Madrid, in an unknown position. From 1664 to 1667 he was master of the chapel at Segovia Cathedral, then moving to the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales, Madrid, where in 1680 he became director of the Royal Chapel. He died in Madrid in 1684.
From the CD booklet: “…On september 30, 1684 Dieto Verdugo – maestro de cappeli at Salamanca Cathedral – who had been asked by King Charles II work at the Royal Chapel – wrote that he could not satisfy to His Majesty’s wishes due to his ill health and lack of means. This happened only seven days after Christóbal Galán’s death. Verdugo added: “The other reasons that prevent me to accept the post have to do with some news I received about the delays in payments by the court and the poor appreciations of chaplains and the other ministers of the Royal Chapel. I was informed today that Mr. Galán died of misery, as he felt he was not appreciated , and of poverty, as he was forced to pawn his own jewelry in order to eat, which fills my heart with pain….”
About the Stabat Mater
| Date: | Unknown |
| Performers: | Vocal and instrumental ensemble |
| Length: | 7.39 minutes |
| Particulars: | After a brief introduction sung by the choir, Galán alternates the solo sections (soprano, countertenor and tenor) with the trio sections (the three soloists together). He uses the same melody repeated in groups of four stanzas. Each of the soloists and the trio sing alternately. |
| Textual variations: | The "Analecta"-version of the text has been used. |
| Colour bar: |
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Information about the recording
| CD1: | 2 CD LAU010 Christóbal Galán – Canto del Alma |
| More info: | The Stabat Mater by Christóbal Galán was on the list of Missing CDs for a long time. Thanks to the great support by Robert and Kathy Lee I could add this CD to the site. They were so kind to to give the CD to me as a present! Many thanks! |
| Orchestra: | La Grande Chapelle |
| Choir: | La Grande Chapelle |
| Conductor: | Albert Recasens |
| Soloists: | María Eugenia Boix, soprano |
| Other works: | CD 1 Obras en latin (by Christóbal Galán) |
| Code: | GAL- 01 |
