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Early Years & Rome
Tomás Luis de Victoria was born in Ávila, Spain, around 1548. At the local cathedral school, where he sung in the choir, he studied music theory, and above all, he started developing his organ skills.
From 1572, Victoria worked as a singer, organist and choral director, and began to compose regularly. He held positions at several Roman churches, and at the Collegium Germanicum. He was ordained a priest in 1575.
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Around 1587, Victoria, exhausted by the constant struggle for money and work, decided to return to his homeland, and got a position as organist, choirmaster and personal chaplain to Queen Maria in Madrid. Here he had more time to compose, and he also revised many of his earlier compositions. Victoria died in 1611, and is buried in the Descalzas Reales monastery, where he spent more than 20 happy years.
His Work
Victoria wrote exclusively sacred music. His vocal polyphony, which follows on from Palestrina, often uses Spanish melodies. From 1580, Victoria started using more and more instruments along with the voices, mainly in the popular modern `colla parte´ style. Towards the end of his life, he started using an early form of `basso continuo´, or figured bass, usually played by the organ or bassoon.
