This great genius of music began his training as a child in the choir of Ávila Cathedral. Given his talent, while still a teenager, he was sent to Rome, where he would remain for nearly 30 years, alternating his learning with various teaching positions and practicing the priesthood.
Around 1594, he returned to Spain to settle in Madrid, as he became a chaplain to the royals. After many years of wandering through different places in the peninsula and Europe, he retired, ending up at the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales in the capital, where he would humbly serve as an organist until his death.
His nearly 200 musical works mark the transition between the Renaissance and the Baroque periods, and he had a large number of followers who were decisively influenced by his compositions, especially in Germany. For many, he is the greatest Spanish polyphonist of the Modern Age.
His love for his homeland (patria chica) is evidenced by the fact that he signed his polyphonic works with the title "clericus o presbiter abulensis". In reality, he always wished to return to Ávila, but due to his multiple commitments, he was never able to see his dream fulfilled. Faithful to the place where he began his musical journey, he sent a large part of his publications to the Cathedral See of our city—missals and his own works—so they could be used there in religious ceremonies. He was rewarded for this, though not always...
In recent years, various events have been held in the capital of Ávila centered around the figure of this musician, which have allowed for his reassessment after centuries of a certain obscurantism toward his figure.
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